FF58 Revenge of the Vampire

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Revengef the by Keith Martin Illustrafedby Martin Mcl(enna

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Published by the Penguin Group Pmguin BooksLtd, 2Z Wrights t2ne, London wE 5rz, Englmd Pmguin Books USA Inc.,575 Hudrcn Street,New York New York ror4, USA Penguin Boks Aushalia Ltd, Ringwood, Victori4 Australia Penguin Bools Canada Ltd, ro Alcom Avenue, Toronto, Ontaio, Canada v4v 3rz PenguinBooks (NZ) Ltd, r8z-rqo Wairau Road,Aucklmd ro, New Zealand Penguin Bools Ltd, Registered Offices: Hmondsworth,

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Middlesex Englmd 7

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at j 7 eao664, Concept copyright @ Stwe Jackmnmd lan Livingstone,1995 Text copyright @ Keith Martin, 1995 lllushationscopyright @ Mutin McKema, 1995

ADVENTURE SHesr 22 BaCf

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Map copyright @ lonatha Gren, 1995 All rights reserued Themonlrightof theaurhorhasbenaserted

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Typeset by Datix Intemationa.lLtd, Bmgay, Suffolk Filmsetin Monophoto Palatino Made md printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc Exceptin the United Statesof America,this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otheruise, be lent, re-sold,hired out, or otheruise circulatedwithout the publisher's prior consnt in ily fom of binding or cover other thm that in which it is publishedmd without a similarcondihon including this condition being imposedon the subsequentpurchaser

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I NT RO DUCT I O N

Before embarking on your adventure, you must first discover your strengths and weaknesses.You use dice to work out your initial srrrr, sTAMINA,rucr and FAIrH scores. On pages zz-3 there is an Adoenture Sheetwhich you may use to record the details of your adventure. On it you will find boxes for recording your SKILL,sTAMINA,rucr and FAITHscores'You are advised either to record your scoreson the Adrsenture Sheetin pencil or to make photocopies of the sheet for use in future attempts to complete the adventure'

Skill, Stamina, Luck and Faith SKiII Roll one dice. Add 6 to this number and enter the total (it will be between7 and n) in the srnl box on theAdoentureSheet. Stamina Roll two dice. Add rz to the number rolled and enter this total (between 14 and z4) in the srevlNa box on the AdoentureSheet. Luck Roll one dice. Add 6 to this number and enter this total (again, between 7 and n) in the rucr box on the AdrsentureSheet.

Faith Roll one dice. Add 5 to this number and enter this total (it will be between 4 and 9) in the FArrH box on the AdoentureSheet.

react to you in a hostile way! You will leam more aboutthe importanceof FAIrHas you makeyour way through this adventure.

For reasons that will be explained below, sKrLL, sTAMINA and rucr scores change constantly during an adventure,and FArrH will also changefrom time to time. You must keep an accurate record of these scores, and for this reason you are advised either to write small in the boxes or to keep an eraser handy. But never rub out your Initial scores.

Magic

Although you may be awarded additional sKrLL, srAMrNA, rucx and MAGrc points, the totals of these may never exceed their lnitial value, except on very rare occasionswhen you will be specificallytold so. Your srtrr score reflects your swordsmanship and general fighting expertise; the higher it is, the better. Your srevrNA scorereflectsyour generalconstitution, your will to survive, your determination and overall fitness; the higher your srAMrNA score, the longer you will be able to survive. Your rucx score indicates how naturally lucky a person you are (and whether you will be able to avoid hazards and perils during your adventure). Luck is very much a fact of life in the fantasy world you are about to explorel Your relru scoresindicates your purity of heart and belief in the forces of goodness. A high FArrH score may enable you to force some evil creatures to flee from you when they sense your faith and valour but it also means that they are more likely to notice you and 8

During your adventureyou may find certain magic items, although at first you may neither realize that they are magicalnor know exactlywhat it is that they do. Shouldyou find such objects,the relevantparagraphswill explainhow to usethem or what you may attempt to do with them. To begin here, however, you are not a wielder of magic but a brave warrior, and you must overcomeyour enemiesby your wits and courage,and by the useof your sword! Battles As your adventure progressesyou will often find yourself in a situation where you have to fight a creatureof somesort. An option to flee may be given, but if it is not - or if you chooseto attackthe creature anyway - you must resolve the battle in the way describedbelow. Firstrecordthe creature'ssKILLand srevINA scoresin the first vacantMonster EncounterBox on your AdoentureSheet. The scoresfor eachcreatureare given in the book eachtime you havean encounter. The sequence of combatis then: r. Roll two dice for the creatureand add its sxlt-t-

score to the total rolled. This is the creature's Attack Strength.

tell you whether you must fight the creaturessingly or all together.

z. Roll two dice for yourself and add this to your current sKILLscore.This total is your Attack Strength.

If you are instructedto fight them one at a time, the battle proceedsexactlyas describedabove.However, as soon as you defeatthe first creaturelisted you must immediatelybegin to fight the secondcreaturelisted, and you must continuefighting until all your enemies are slain(or until you are).You may not pausebetween fighting your opponentsfor any reason(suchas taking somestepto restorelost sravlNe points).

5. If your Attack Strength is higher than that of your opponent, you have wounded it, so proceed to Step 4. If the creature's Attack Strength is higher than yours, it has wounded you, so proceed to Step 5. If both Attack Strengths are the same,you have avoided each other's blows - start the next Attack Round from step r, above. 4. You have wounded the creature:subtract z points from its srAMrNA score.You may use your rucx here to do additional damage(seebelow). Proceedto step 6. 5. The creature has wounded your subtract z points from your own srAMrNA score. Again, you may use lucr at this stage(seebelow). 6. Make the appropriate adjustments to either the creature'sor your own srAMrNA score (and to your LUCKscoreif you used rucx seebelow). 7. Begin the next Attack Round by retuming to step r. This sequencecontinues until either your srAMrNA score or that of the creature you are fighting has been reduced to zero or below (death).

Fighting More Than One Creafure If you come across more than one opponent in a particular encounter, the instructions on that page will TO

If you are instructedto fight all the creaturesat once, the procedureis different. In step r of the combat sequence above, you must calculate the Attack Strength for eachof the creaturesfacing you. In step 5, if the Attack Strengthof any of your opponentsis higher than yours, you must go at once to step 5. If you have the highestAttack Strengthof all, go to step 4 and you may choosewhich of your opponentsto strike.Again, the battle goes on until either of you or all your enemiesare slain. Luck At various times during your adventure, either in battlesor when you come acrosssituationsin which you could be either lucky or unlucky (detailsof these are given when the situation occurs),you may call on your lucr to make the outcomemore favourable to you. But beware!Using lucr is a risky business and if you are unlucky, the results could be disashous. 7,1

instructedto Testyour Skill,'adding z to the number rolled'. What this meansis that when you roll two dice you must add z to the total; if you had rolled a 4 and a 3, for example,your modified total would be 4 + j + 2 = 9. You then compare this final total with your srrlr to discoverthe outcomeof Testing yourSkill. Testing your Spot Skill This is a specialcaseof Testingyour Skill,and it applies when you rnay or may"not spot (discover)something hidden or concealed.The procedurehereis exactly the sameas for Testingyour Skill, but the relevant paragraphwill insteadinstructyou to TestyourSpotSkill. Restoring Skill, Stamina, Luck and Faith

skill Your srrn score will not change often during your adventure. Occasionally a paragraph may give an instruction to increaseor decreaseyour sKILL score. Your sxrrr score cannot exceed its Initial level unless you are specifically instructed to the contrary. You may have the chance during this adventure to get your hands on an item, such as a magical weapon, which will increase your Attack Strength. If you manage to acquire two such weapons, you cannot gain bonuses to your Attack Strength for both of them you cannot use two Magic Swords at the same time! Likewise, certain kinds of arrnour will give a bonus to L4

your Attack Strength - but obviously you cannot wear more than one suit of arrnour at a time! Sfaminaand Prooisions Your srevINA score will go up and down frequently during your adventure as you fight enemies and undertake arduous tasks. As you near your goal, your sTAMINAscoremay drop dangerouslylow, and battles become particularly risky, so be careful! Your backpack contains enough Provisions for rz meals. You may rest and eat at any time except when fighting. Eating a meal restores 4 STAMINA points. When you eat a meal, add + points to your current sTAMINA score and deduct r from the Provisions on your AdoentureSheet:A separateProvisions Remaining box is provided on your AdoentureSheetfor recording details of Provisions.You have a long way to go, so use your Provisions wisely! Remember that your srAMrNA score may never exceed its Initial value, unless you are specifically instructed otherwise in a paragraph. There will be times during your adventure when you will be told that you must eat a meal. When you have to do this, deduct r point from the Provisions on your Adoenture Sheet, but you do not regain any lost srAMrNA for doing this. If you are told to eat a meal but you don't have any provisions left, you must subtractz points from your current sTAMINAscore. During your adventure, however, you should be able to acquire extra Provisions to add to the store you L5

The procedurefor using your lucr is as follows: roll two dice. If the total rolled is less than or equal to your current rucr score,you have been Lucky and the result will go in your favour. If the numberrolled is higher than your current LUCKscore,you have been Unluckyandyou will be penalized. This procedureis known as Testingyour Luck. Each time you Testyour Luck, you must subtract r point from your current LUCKscore.Thus you will soon realizethat, the more you rely on your LUcK,the more risky this will become. lking Luckin Battles In certainparagraphsof this book you will be told that you must Testyour Luck and you will find out the consequences of being Luckyor Unlucky.However,in battlesyou alwayshavethe option of usingyour rucK either to inflict more seriousdamageon a creatureyou have just wounded or to minimize the effectsof a woundyour opponenthasjust causedyou.

Lucky, you manageto avoid the full strength of the blow; restorer point of sr.e,vIue (so that insteadof doing z points of damage,it doesonly r). If you are Unlucky, you take a more seriousblow: subtract r total. ertrapointfrom your currentSTAMINA you must subtractr point from your own Remember: LUCKscoreeachtime you TestyourLuck.lf your rucx score ever reacheszero, you will automaticallybe Unlucky wheneveryou are forced to Testyour Luck. So be carefulout there! Testing your Skill At times you will find yourself in a situationwhere your physical strength,your reflexesand agility may affect whether you are able to avoid a hazard or perform some action (suchas climbing a difficult and treacherous surface).When this is the case,you may be instructed to Testyo:urSkill.

If you have just woundedthe creature,you may Test your Luck as describedabove.If you are Lucky,you have inflicted a severewound and may subtractz extrapoints from the creature'ssrAMrNAscore.However, if you are Unlucky, the wound is a mere graze andyou mustrestorer point to the creature's srAMrNA (so that, insteadof scoring the normal z points of damage,you now scoreonly r).

The procedurefor this is as follows' roll two dice.If the total rolled is less than or equal to your current If the number sKILLscore,you have been successful. rolled is greaterthan your current sKILLscore,you will tell you what havefailed.The relevantparagraphs you Test your 1kill. when mean successand failure However,you do not haveto subtractany pointsfrom yourSkillin this way. This your sKrLLscorefor Testing is a crucialdifferencefrom TestingyourLuck!

If the creaturehas just wounded you, you may Test your Luck to try to minimize the wound. If you are

Sometimesyou may facea difficult task in which your sxttr is testedto the full; for example,you may be

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begin with. This will enableyou to maintain sTAMINA throughout the adventure.However, you cannot canlz more than rz Provisionsat anv one time!

Luck Your Lucrcscorewill also changeduring the adventure as you Test your Luck. Addttions to your Luck score may be awarded when you have been especiallyfortunate, and similarly you may be told to reduceyour rucr when you make an important mistake;details of such events are given in the appropriateparagraphsof the book. Rememberthat, as with srtlr and srnvtNe, your LUCKmay never exceed its Initial value unless you are specificallytold this. Apart from Testing your Luck, you will also be given some opportunities for 'spending' LUCK.You will be asked whether you wish to deduct r point from your 16

current LUCKscore in order to improve your chances of a successfuloutcome - for example,you can often modify a dice roll that you are told to make by spending a point of your rucrc (in this case,you must decidewhether to spend the rucr point beforeyou roll the dice).Of course, rucr points are precious and you cannot afford this luxury very often. Making the right choice about whether to spend a LUCKpoint in this way can be important for successin this adventure.

Faith Your rAttn may be shaken by certain perils during your adventure, but it may also be increasedwhen you are victorious in some very dangerousbattles or when you find some specialobjects or relics of Good. Your ralrn score can be increased above its Initial value. You will find out exactly how ralrs works when you meet certain creaturesduring your adventure, and you will be instructed about this in the relevant paragraphs.

Blood Points During your adventureyou will have a limited number of opportunities to perform actions which will weaken your ultimate enemy. Leaming old lore about Count Heydrich, destroying some of the items he owns, and acquiring powerful relics of Good will help you to overcome him when at last you confront him! Also, because your enemy gains strength with time, you lose Blood Points when you waste time or are delayed L/

during your adventure.Your Blood Points tally is ro at the outset, and you must record changristo it in the Blood Points box on your AdoentureSheet.You must do all you can to raise the Blood Points score as high as possible, since the lower it is, the more powerful will your nemesis be when you finally meet. It is possiblefor your Blood Points score to fall below zero if you are greatly delayed; if this happens,you should record negative numbers. But try to avoid this at all costs!

may find. You aiso carry a lantem which you can use to light your way, should you find yourself literally in the dark. You may also find treasure,in the form of Gold Pieces or valuable objects along the way; you should make a note of these in the Treasurebox on your Adoenfure Sheet.Youmay have opportunities for trading treasure for equipment, help or information in this adventure, so be honest about keeping an accuraterecord of how much treasureyou obtain!

Special Hazards: Curses, Plagues and Poisons

Equipment You start your adventure with some simple, basic equipment that you will need for the adventure ahead, but you may find extra items during your travels.you are armed with a sword and are dressed in leather arrnout you also carry a shield. You have a backpack (a simple rucksackor haversack)on your back to hold your Provisions and any treasuresor other items you t8

You may also find yourself the victim of some wretched affliction or other during your adventure for you are facing evil and dangerousenemies.If you are poisoned or cursed, or if you pick up some terrible affliction from the bite of an infected creature,yor,rwill be in seriousdanger. You may even die swiftly if you cannot find an antidote, some healing, or magical help; on other occasions you may be condemned to a lingering death, growing slowly weaker (but at least you will have time to look for help) The relevant paragraphswill instruct you as to the adverse effects you will suffer if you are afflicted.You will do well to protect yourself against such dangers by finding (or perhaps purchasing)help and information in advance about the hazards you may have to face. Lose no opportunity of gaining antidotes to poisons and plagues, and information about them, and magical protections. 1,9

Hints on Play Your joumey will be perilousand you may well fail on your first attempt.Make notesand draw a map asyou explore - this map will prove invaluablewhen you make further forays in this adventure, and it will enable you to progressmore rapidly to unexplored regions.Making a map is especiallyimportant in this adventure.You will be exploring a very large area, and sometimesyou may wish to backtrackin order to checkareasbehindyou or to revisitone or two places of particularvalue o4 note. It will be much easierto follow instructions and make appropriate choices, where to go and what to do, if you draw a rough sketchmap during this adventure. Be wary about Testingyour Luck,unlessa paragraph tells you that you must do thisl When it comesto fights, you should Testyour Luck only to keepyourself alive if an opponent'sblow would otherwisekill you (so far as reducingyour srAMrNa loss from your opponent'sblows is concemed).The other occasion when you shouldnot think twice aboutusing lucr is in the final combat against your dire enemy in this adventure- if you've got enough rucr left to use. Don't Test your Luck in order to try to do extra damageupon an enemyunlessthis is really necessaryl rucr pointsarepreciousl Keep an eye open for ways to trade your treasurefor equipment and help during your adventure. Gold Piecesare of little use:you cannoteat them,use them in combatsor castspellswith them.But they will buy 20

you food, weapons,even magic - if you can find someoneto tradewith! You will soon realizethat paragraphsmakeno senseif read in numericalorder. It is essentialthat you read only the paragraphsyou are instructed to go to. Readingother paragraphslessensthe excitementand surpriseduring play. The only true way to successin this adventureinvolvesminimizingrisk; any player,no matter how weak his or her attributes,shouldbe able to strugglethrough to glory in the end. May the luck of the gods go with you on the adventure ahead- for this one,you may well needit!

ENCOTINTERBOXES

EQTJIPMENT:

BAC K GR O U N D

Thereis little call for the servicesof a warrior at this time of year in the town of Gummport,it seems.The easterncoastlineof the Old World has been all too peacefulfor somemonths.The people there grow fat and lazy, and they're not your type of folk at all. Bored and restless,you sit in a tavern in a miserable little village outsidethe town, wonderingwhetherto retum to Allansia oi to seek more interestingand dangerouslands in the Old World. Then your eyes turn, as everyoneelse'sdo, to an old man who's been helpedto a table besidea cracklinglog fire. He is tall, thin and stooped,with a livid scarrunning down his neck andhis handsshakea little ashe putsa blackthom stick down besidethe wooden chair into which he lowershimselfpainfully.He doesn'ttakeoff his heavy brown cloakand even next to the fire he seemscold. As his faceglows in the reflectedfirelight,you seethat his eyesare opaqueand milky: the old man is blind. He seemsto be entirely alone,for he was helpedto his seatby the landlord'sson, and now no one sits with him. In the tavem, a couple of shifty-eyed,rat-faced men - evilJooking sorts - are already gazingat him, and you guessthey seehim as a soft target.He may well end up in a back alley with a knife in his back if they get their way. Scowlingat them so that they back away like the cowardsthey are, you walk over with the lastof your mealand sit down besidehim. 24

He is glad of your company and is huppy to talk to you. After you have introduced yourself, he says his name is Henrik van der Termlen, from Mauristatia - as if his accentdidn't give that away.He is on his way to visit a friend, a fellow scholarin one of the monasteries which throng the shores of Lake Libra. 'lt will be good to seeold Sewarth again,'he says,'although I wish the matter conceming us was not so evil, and time not so short.' He falls quiet, and sips his ale. You ask him why he is travelling alone in these rough lands.'l was not alone until yesterday,'he says quietly. 'But then Otto, my old friend and servant, did not wake from his bed. His body was cold and his face frozen into a terrible scream.'His hands fidget as if he was running them over his old friend's face again. 'He was murdered, poisoned. Clearly my enemy does not want me to reachmy destination.' For a moment you consider the possibility that he might be mad but he hasn't far to go and you feel sorr5r for him, so you offer to accompany him to the safety of the monastery. His face breaks into a smile. 'You are a good friend, I think,' he says happily. 'l will be glad of your company. I am tired and need to sleep now; however, I shall see you here in the moming. Though you have not asked, I have a little gold with me, and you will be rewarded for your kindness.' Before you can protest, he gets up and shuffles towards the bedrooms of the tavem, his stick tapping against the wall. You finish your supper and tum in yourself. 25

In the moming, there is no sign of Henrik at breakfast, so you go to his room. You knock twice on the door, but there is no reply. Uneasily, you open the door and, entering, you are appalled at what you see. The old man has been killed. A heavy-bladed knife protrudes from the crumpled body lying on the bloodsoaked bed. Horrified, you reel away and your foot catches on a small wooden box sticking out from under the bed; as you trip over, the lid falls open and some papersand gold piecesspill on to the floor. You pick up the papers and look at them: they are notes addressed to Sewarth and, though you don't mean to pry, you can't help glancing through them. Much of what is written here makes little sense to you, but it is clear that Henrick has been hunting an evil fugitive from Mortvania whose name is Count Reiner Heydrich: Henrik documents his terrible life and his eventual slaying. The man was a monster: Henrik tells of the murders of hundreds of peasantsby impaling, the draining of their blood and much worse. Then your eyes take in the following words. . . . thoughHeydrichwas slain, he could not be destroyed for eaer. Somewhere,his life force is contained in a magicalartefactwhich will protecthim, althoughI haoe not yet learnedwhat this is. I do know that destroyingit will be uital, otherwisethe Vampirewill be inaulnerable. He longsfor reoengeafter he was oanquishedin Mortoania. Now, he can become far strongn than erserhe was in that wretchedland. You are stunned. Henrick was a Vampire hunter, it z6

seems!The last of the notesbegsSewarthto research the SoulIewel and discoverits nature.Thesemust be copiesof letterssentby Henrik to the scholar-monk. If the latter replied,Henrik doesn'thave ihe letters with him. What shouldyou do now? Henrik is past humanaid. You are angry at the cowardly murdererswho slew a helplessblind man, but you do not know who they are and you cannot find them and bring them to justice.All you can do now is to take thesepapersto Sewarthand hope that Henrik'sresearchwill cometo fruition. A Vampire - the most feared of all the undead,a leecherof life and blood, an appallingevil! Yes,you will take Henrik'slettersto the monk. That, at least,you cando. You hesitateas you look at the gold on the floor. If you leaveit, in all likelihoodthe thievesof the tavem will soon take it. You have a choiceat the start of your adventure.If you want to leavehere at once and headfor LakeLibra,tum to paragraphr. If you decide to takethe gold, turn to paragraph5r.

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Leaving the village behind you, you make for Lake Libra, following the riverside road. You get a lift on a cart from a friendly farmer, and soon find yourself at the lakeside,the papers tucked safely inside your shirt. Then you realize that many monastic settlements throng the lakeside, and you do not know which one Sewarthlives in! So you knock at the front door of the first monastery you come to and ask the young monk who opens it if he knows where Sewarth can be found. He shakeshis head,but then he says that the monks of the HamaskianMonastery willknow. There, the monks of the god of leaming will tell you where to find Sewarth - for a small donation. If you have r Gold Pieceand are willing to pay them, they tell you where Sewarth is to be found. If you can't - or won't - pay, then you have to keep asking around and you are delayed;lose r Blood Point. Turn to 55r. 2

You hear a flapping, scraping sound behind you and, looking around, you see a huge black bat grinning at you! Its fllght is cumbersomein these enclosed passages,-and it has to draw its wings round itself, but it is making its way towards you and can it can move faster than you can. The thing has evilly glowing red eyes, long sharp teeth and wickedly curved claws as long as your fingers. You will have to fight it here. HORNED VAMPIRE BAT

srrrr S

srAMrNA10

If you win, you decide that it is high time you got out of this place.You reckon that Sewarth must be dead -

5

he leamed too much. On the way out, you spot the gleam of gold at the bony feet of one of the skeletal monks. Taking this would be dishonourable- the gold must have been buried with the monk perhaps as an offering to one of the gods. If you want to take the 7 Gold Pieces that are here, you must lose r FAIrH point. Make your decision, then head on upwards. Turn to rz5.

Healers who can treat affliJtions such as vours are rare in these lands. Tesf your Luck.lf you ur" Lrr.ky, yot, meet a traveller who has herbs and unguents which can cure you of one affliction; you will have to pay him ro Gold Piecesfor this. If you are Unlucky, you do not find a healer.Either way, you will lose another z Blood Points because of the delay. If you cannot pay, or if you are Unlucky, you can Test yowr Luck once or twice more in the same way. If you are still not healed (of both your afflictions,if you have both), vou transform into one of the Count's servants,and

4-5 your adventure ends here. If you are healed,or if you decide to give up and make for Mortus Mansion, tum to r98. 4 Shevala leads you to what looks like a large pothole close to two large rocks; you light your lantem and make your way downwards. Looking back, you see Carollar striding off angrily towards a cave entrancein the side of Crab Peak,but you have no time to worry about her now. You enter a maze of passageways, stopping from time to time to listen for any sound of the monster you seek.You come acrosstwo skeletons in a side cave, and you can make out the gleam of metal among the bones. If you want to investigate this, tum to 6g.lf you prefer to presson, tum to ry7.

to*" You head east until uorr to a secluded house hidden behind very thick, high hedges. A pair of rusted iron gates,half open, give accessto a pathway, and just inside the gates are some run-down stables. You go through the gates. If you want to explore the stables,turn to 376.If you prefer to make straight for the house,turn to 98.

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Following the trail, ,or 1?.r-Ule across the bloody corpse of a young monk. You feel sick and begin to wonder as to the wisdom of continuing until you hear another voice screamingin the distance.You rush to see if you can save this person'slife. You are too late, for when you reach his cell the monk has already been slain by the ghastly, comrpted thing which stands, slavering and slobbering, in front of you, blood all over its arms and body. It is vaguely human, but its flesh is a sickly grey colour and its bloodshot eyes bulge out of their sockets.Tufts of wirelike black hair stick out of its blotchy scalp and exposed flesh. The monster leaps at you, hoping to add another victim for its midnight feastingl

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As soon as the Ghoul-Monk wounds you three times, turn to 54. lf it hits you even once, but you still manage to defeat it, tum to tt6.lf you win without being wounded at all, tum to t7z.

As you enter the cavem, ilu u." blinded by brilliant sheetsof flame searing through the cavern. The sparkcreature ignited the gas you could smell! You are almostroastedalive.You must lose 8 srevrNa points, and now the creatureis advancing towards you. If you are still alive, you have to fight it, and you must subtract r from your Attack Strength becauseof the state of shock you are in and the blinding effects of ihe flashof fire. Tum to ao4.

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elsewherein the monastery,tum to z6s.If you have leamedof someother part of the monasteryand you want to know how to get there,convert that location into a number using the code A = + B = 2, C = 3 to the ... I - 26. Add the numberscorresPonding letters in the location then turn to the paragraphwith that number.If you do not tum to a paragraphwhicl begins, 'something I found puzzlesme', you have made the wrong choice;you should tum back to this paragraphand makesa freshchoiceabout where to go next. 9 Beforeyour astonishedeyes,the Count's body turns into a cloud of mist which flies towards the darkness of the right-handarchwayin the distance.You chase the fleeing Vampire for all you are worth. Testyour tum to to6.lf you fail, SpotSkill.lf you are successful, tum to 165.

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A magical glow swirls round the door with the shield on it, but you are not apprehensive.The usual senseof evil filling the crypts is absent here. You push the door open and discover a long corridor and five doors, each bearing a shield design. Materializing before you is the ghost of a knightly figure, tall and stem, who looks you over appraisingly. 'No evil enters here,' the ghost announces. 'Any undead creature would be destroyed instantly by the magic guarding the tombs of the Knights of the Thom.' He seems to peer right into you - even through you - for a moment. 'You come to destroy the evil here,' the shade declares approvingly. 'And not before time!' What looks almost like a smile flickers on his face. 'l will allow you to pass into one, and only one, of the tomb rooms here, to take whatever may be of help to you.'

You must choosewhich tomb to enter.Whose tomb room will you enter? h"ulrl of Crab Peak. Your only No one here has ",r", hope is to find someonepassingthrough the hamletwho has heard of the place.Roll one dice.If you roll a r, you find a traveller who tells you where Crab Peakis; tum to Sro.lfyou roll any other number, you waste one day of precioustime;losez BloodPoints.lf youhave Bloodbane, did you roll a 6 on that dice?If you did, you must subtract r from both your Current and Initial sTAMINAscores. You can continue waiting and asking for as long as you like, but if you get bored by failure and decide to make for Count Heydrich'smansionhouseinstead,tum to 89.

The first Knight's? The secondKnight's? The third Knight's? The fourth Knight's? The fifth Knight's?

You are tumed into a ,li*",

Tum to t5 Turn to r7r Tum to zz4 Turn to z9z Turn to 5r4

pile of ash by the

magical barrier which stands in your way. Your adventure ends here.

6-7 6 'Spare me!' the crone cries, sinking to her knees and clasping her hands together. 'l'll give you my treasure, oh yes! It's all in there,' she snivels, pointing to the archway. 'l can tell you the magical words to speak in order to pass through it safely. Yes! Otherwise you will be killed by its tenible power! I will give you all the gold I have!' If you are determined to kill her off, you can do so easily; tum to 64. lf you decide to parley with her, tum to n4.lf you decide not to kill her but to tie her up and gag her so that she can't be a menace to you, you can find rope here to do so (tum to 168).

7 You are standingat the top of the southempassage, looking southwards.There are doors to your left and

E right, and one directly aheadof you at the end of the passage. You shouldexplorean ar€awhereyou have not beenbefore.Will vou: Open the right-handdoor? Open the left-handdoor? Open the door in front of you? Backtrack to the west passage?

Tum to 85 Turn to z9 Turn to 55 Turn to r75

You leam from Marcu, tn8utit was Endrell who told him about the other monks' departures;they themselvesdidn't tell him wherethey weregoing.You also tell Marcusof the history of Mortvania- which you know to be the homeland of the Vampire whom Sewarth and Henrik were correspondingabout, and which you found in Endrell'sroom. Marcus is beginning to look very fidgety and worried himself. He blurts out that Endrellis often away from his bedroom at night, and that he, Marcus,has seenstrange,dark shapesfttting about the monasteryduring the night. 'You might try explorHe is clearlyworried senseless. 'Or ing the library,'hesays. Sewarth'sroom,of course. That is locked.The library is just north of this room; Sewarth's roomsaredirectlysouthof here.'You cannot persuade you. him to accompany It is time to exploreelsewhere. If you want to make for Sewarth'srooms,tum to ry1lf you want to head for the library, turn to 5yS.lf you want to leave this eastwing of the buildingand headwestwards,turn to ry7. lf you want to leave this east wing and search

25

2o-22

rushesstraightpast you, screamingsomethingabout a scarredmonster-manfollowing him. If you want to ignore this mayhemand find somewhereto stay, tum to z85.lf you would ratherfind a placewhereyou can crouchdown, hide and wait to seewhat happens,tum to 94. The Ghouls here ur" ,o,ig"h opponentsby virtue of sheernumbers.Beforewielding your sword,you could try weakeningthem with other attacks.Blackfirewill destroyhalf of them (subtractz from their sxlrr-and 5 from their sreurNn) or acid will destroy one of the You can use Ghouls(subtractz from their srerralNe). only one specialattackbeforethe Ghoulscometo life and you have to fight with your sword. G H OUL PAC K

sKrrL9

lovingly polishing a beautiful, wine-coloured leather saddle.The man has his back to you; he is muscular and young, with long brown hair. The windowless room is lit by a strange, omate walllantem which gives out a very disconcerting red radiance. As you enter, the man tums around. His eyes are blank, his face expressionless.'Tell the Count his work will be done,' he says in a monotone. He seemsto think you must have come from the mansion house. What will you do now? Will you take the lantem away (tum to 286), try to talk to the man (tum to yg) or decide that you are wasting valuable time in the coach-houseand make for the main mansion house (tum to 46)?

STAM T N A 1 3

If you are struck three times by the Ghoul pack, tum at once to 84. If you win, you make for the door ahead;tum to 55o. 27-

Acid is utterly uselessagainstthe Megaghoul - it, after all, uses acid as a weapon itself! Its iron claws rip along your side just after you have hurled the acid at it, and you must lose z sTAMINA points. You are forced to fight with your sword; tum to z7o. 22

You push open the small door and find yourself in a little room in which a saddleris at work. He is

25 To your dismay, the west door in this room is now opening and pair of Zombies are shambling in from a nearby guard-room. You must fight the Zombies and Sandar two at a time (Sandar and one Zombie first of all). H is impossible now to go on making grabs for Sandar'samulet in this frantic m6l6e, so you must now fight with your sword.

a5-47

a5 just left a hapless and innocent human being You have to his death. Lose r FAIrH point. You retum to the trail; tum to r48. t6 You shake the sleeping woman and splash some water on her face. She wakes up slowly and you reassureher that you are not one of the castle'sevil occupants'She says that she is a warrior herself, Vantiane from Gallantaria, on her *"y io the port of Arkleton in search of employment. She remembers walking into a mist along the road, then the swooping of wings - and nothing beyond that. She is weakened, but you give her some food (subtract r from your Provisions) and she rummages around in the room, coming up with her leather arrnour, shield and sword, which were stowed away under the sofa. Vantiane will help you in the next three combatsyou get into. While she is with

ton. You retum to the main passageoutside this room; tum to 599.

he is slower than last Your horse is still willingliut night and he cannot keep up with the fleeing Count. You ride on slowly until dawn, then stop to take breakfast. You must now eat a meal. If you have a Codex with you, you know how many Pages it has;

t8-r.g

tum to the paragraphwith that number.If you do not havethis book tum to z7g. r8 When you step into the magicalbarrier,you feel as if you have beenplunged into boiling oil and are being fried alive. Screamingwith pain, you collapse;lose ro srAMrNApoints!If you are still alive, you reawaken (lose r Blood after some hours of unconsciousness Point).Worse still, some scavengingrats have made off with half of your food (divide your Provisionstotal by two, rounding fractionsup). Iust be thankful they didn't nibbleat you! Turn to 76. 1-9 You have more long days ahead of you; during your joumey, you must eat 6 meals to supplement what you can beg. However, you may buy food to replace used provisions (r Gold Piece buys enough for z meals).If you have a longbow, you can take some potshots at rabbits for your supper. Testyour Skill.If you are successful,you hunt well enough to add 3 to your Provisions. If you fail, you may add only r to your Provisions. If you have no gold and you need food badly, you can work at log-chopping and similar demeaningtasksto eam money. One day's work eams r gold piece,but you must lose r Blood Point for each day you spendworking. Eventually you round the westem edge of the northem Great Wall and, as night falls, find yourself in the village of Shamek. Behind you, a rider races up and

24-25

FirstZOMBIE SecondZOMBIE

25 SKIL L

7 7

STA MIN A

7 7

If you win, you decide to explore the house. Tum to 174.

You havemadea *ir" .ffi." in your query(gainr r-ucxpoint).Doktor Vemrckte,for so he introduces himself, is eager to bore you rigid with incomprehensible details conceming his strange and unappetizing experiments in capturing the essenceof life, and the undead, and using them for all manner of obscure purposes.'Now, you know, bringing the dead back to life, well, that's difficult,'he drones on. 'But I, the great Doktor Verruckte, aln engaged in the great work of bringing the undeadback to life - or back to unlife, I supposeyou might say.' He giggles at his feeble joke' From what he says, you leam that he is trying to bring the Count's sister back to life, to join her brother in his infemal doings! You want him to say more, but he now grows quiet and yawns prodigiously. 'Time for my nap,' he says, pushing you towards the door. You can go quietly (tum to 7) or attack him (tum to 278). 25 Having destroyed the horror, you tend to the man, first removing his gag in order to hear what he has to say for himself. Mortus Mansion contains too many enemies for you to untie him immediately. He tells

you that this nameis Malkan,that he is apprenticeto a healer of Arkleton, and that foolishly he wandered too close to the mansion,looking for rare curative herbs and plants. He camewith his brother, Simeon, who - like himself- was overwhelmedby a pack of Ghouls,which rushedout of the mansiongroundsand attacked them. Malkan fears that Simeon has been eatenby the flesh-eating Ghouls,and his grief-stricken expression you that this is not sometall tale persuades and you decideto untie him. As he risesunsteadilyto his feet, you see that he is thin and is certainlyno fighting man. You give him instructionsfor getting out of the mansion,and tell him to fleefor safety.You promisethat, if you find his brother,you will do your best to free him. He is deeplygratefulto you. If you have any afflictions (Lung Rot or Latent Vampirism, say),he can cure one of them for you, but only one, he is too weak,and anywayis just a novicehealer,to do any more. Gain 1 FArrH point for freeing the young healer.Now you can climb the stairs into the darkness(tum to 5o), retreatand explore elsewherein the eastwing (tum to Sgg),or makefor the west wing (tum to r++).

26-28 26

You don't bother to knock; you just smash the door down. The room itself is almost completelv dark. but just enough light comes in from the coniior for you to seewhat is in here. There is a coffin on the bed, and a figure lies recumbent inside it. But there is also a watchful, powerfully built man with studded leather armour and a very sharp sword standing guard over his master, and he moves at once to attack vou. You have to fight for your life now!

IGOR

SKILL 9

STAM TN A 1 4

If Igor has an Attack Strength of zo or better when he wins an Attack Round, you must deduct J points from your srAMrNe,for his attack - he is very powerful. If you win, tum to "* : +27 You light the red lamp and its baleful light illuminates the passageway.Th6 shrouded forms moan, tossing and tuming inside their cocoons, then settle back in their wretched slumber.You make for the door ahead of you. Tum to 55o. zB As you approach the door, there is a sudden flash of light in front of you, as if a warning was being given. You suspect that the door may have some form of magical trap set upon it. You have three choiceshere. If you have some, you may pour Oil of Disenchantment on the door to dispel the trap. If this is your choice,you know the number etched on the vial of oil;

51--55

2f30

add roz to that number,then tum to the paragraph with this higher number.Altematively,you can just open the door and hope for the best;if you want to db this, tum to toz. Of courseyou can just forget about this door altogether,set off along the passage and openthe left-handdoor (tum to SgS)or the righthanddoor at the end (turnto rr).

of the mansionhouseand push hard at it to escapethem. Tum to zo7. 57As you leap the fissure, you must Test your 1kill. lf you are successful,tum to ry1.If you fail, tum to 99. 32 Old Grundy is bad-mannered, bad-tempered and grumpy. It also seemsthat you will have to buy him a ridiculous amount of ale and several old mutton pies for his supperbefore he's ready to talk. This generosity will cost you 2 Gold Pleces.If you're ready to pay and listen to the old bore;*one on, tum to 8r. Otherwise,

35 th us until Se*arth returns.'

'You may stay

broodingeyesseemalmostto bersurveyingthe room. You don't want to look at this toroclosely.The other two portraits show a man and a w.oman.If you have a History of Mortvania,you know'the volumenumber. Multiply that numberby4s, thenturn to the paragraph with the samenumber. Otherwise, searchelsewhere; tum to 7. The wolves snarl and gr.5; but they dare not attack you! You inch past the baying pack to the back door

Endrellannounces, vou are shown to a room with only a palletbed somevery rough blankets.You are given hard thin soupand a jug of water for supper,thenyou down to sleep.Tum to 74. 34 If you have been Peak,turn to 58. If you have not been there, tu*i to rt7. f'-

35 The door is locked, so you have to force it open. Test ytourSkill.lf you fail, you smashit down clumsily and land heavily; lose z srAMrNA points. If you are successtul yo, come to no harm. Inside the room is a

g8

56-i7 disturbing sight: a corpselies, strappeddown, on what could be an embalming tabie. Certainly, the room smells strongly of preservativesand there is a tray of flasks and ums containing various coloured and malodorous liquids. Oddly, though the body does not move, foggy breath appearsto be drifting up from its blueJipped mouth. If you want to explore this more closely, turn to 54. Alternatively, you can leave this alone and go somewhereyou haven't been before; will vou:

screamat him that something has just got in through the upstairs window and is attacking his master. Grundar, unfortunately, is slow on the uptake; he cups a hand to his ears and listens, but hears nothing. He looks at you very disbelievingly. You finally manage to drag him out into the street and show him the dissolved window. He furrows his brow and lumbers upstairswith you, but by now it's too late: Hanquar's body lies on his bed, covered in a sheetof slime that is dripping on to the flopr. Grundar looks even more

dumbfoundedthan

Openthedoorat the end{- the corridor? t Exploretheeastemsideof thb

Turn to zo8

house? Leave and set out on vour

Turn to r95 Tum to 5oo

'Go and get the W to taking orders and

on night patrol in F cious time to searc

you yell at him. He's used off to find a guardsman This give you some preplace before he comes back

if you get yourself

- though it may caught in the act. I

lo r4r,. If you for the Watch to

It's hard to beli

35 The sword tums on you and would never allow a latent Vampi

against you. so you will have rvards (turn to

you outright! It

37 You hammeron the door for all you areworth. When you Grundar,Harquar'sshamblingbodyguard,appears,

and give them your story. t they have no evidence you out of town, though, eave, going either north-eastr to some other area (tum to

5o.4).

wield its magic,

and it strikesyou down with all tlil magicalpower it contains.Your adventureendshere.

decide to take the risk, tum not, you wait meekly

58

The Count is doJ

in the crypts,of course,'the old

rran snarls.'Every6ne knows that.' He looks at you in a highly suspiciousmanner and before you can react, :re flings a vial of acid at you. Deduct 3 points from -.-oursrAMrNa. You will have to fight him now; tum :o 278.

tf

A shapeis forming in tli"9.nirtl A batiike creature, andseeminglycomposedof gasrather semi-transparent than a solid oblect,glides soundlesslydown towards you. The 'eyes'of the thing glow a balefulgreen,and it whips a long, stingeredtail out at you. You must subtract r from your Attack Strength when fighting this aerialspectre.If you do not havea Magic Sword,

4/,//

7,,

' ,/iiliz

4

when vou strike the point, as it is resistant

\N

ry

tt;

l/

lt

u

BAT- SPECTRE

r it will loseonly 1 sTAMINA -magicalweapons. STAM IN A 7

If you win, you mist to the clearair

Have vou been to

do you know vou know the n found. Change tha A=t,B=z,C corresponding to

get a total, then numberas that find the Vampire, whichendshere.

witches?If you have not, can find them? If you do, place where they can be to a number using the code

. . I = 26. Add the numbers ers of the placetogetherto the paragraphwith the same If you do not know where to cannot succeedin this adventure,

see the witches, do you have a lf you have red crystal heart?If you do not have it, then again you have failed; your adventure ends here. If you do have it, you still need to know the name of Reiner Heydrich's final hiding-place. If you do know it, change

43-4

4a-42 the name to a number using the code A = r, B = 2, etc. Add the numbers corresponding to the letters of the place together and add five to get a total. Tum to the paragraph with the same number as the total. If

you do not know where to find the Vampire, you cannotsucceedin your goal,ald your adventureends here.

You take the risk and you find no clues.A ing; lose r Blood Point

aboutto give up and,have sheet of paper stickin'g noteson the paperwer;ec You can make out thb secret.Now indestructible. . . . has infiltratedhere . . notesand keep:BELOW.'li have found no other notes] research;they must haft where below the monastery, Where might that be, you explore the east wing further makefor the west wing (tum to

the bookcases.but

tums up nothiust as you are ice the comer of a

4The scrawled tenin great haste. ical gem-hidden ver have believed ho one. Copy 1-orrlou that you hfv or records of '{

. But, someare hidden. can now ) or else

42 As you stoop to examine the first for an instdnt the hands of the corpse seem to- reach out, as if begging for help. But then the body is still again, and you cannot be sure whether your sensesfooled you. For an instant a whisper seems to echo round the

chamber:the single word 'curse'. You gaze at the stone,and you know it to be the sourceof both the evil and the curse- whateverthat may be. You should now examinethe stone(turn to r8o). If you reallydo not want to do that, you can retum to the surface (tum to r4s) or backtrack and take the left-hand tuming behindyou (tum to 565),but if you do either you mustloser FAIrHpoint! ,ii, 4i The taller and uglier of the crones,Shevala,takesyou to one side, away from the hate-filled gaze of the other crone,and whispersto you. 'My sisterhasbeen poi.ttingto Carollar, tumed to stone,'she'sliirls.'S-he,' 'led her to the Basilisk'slair! It's her fault. I cannot retum Xalvanar to lifg, That can only be done by slaying the Basilisk.Dt that for me and bring me its head. Then I can craft an enchantmentto bring my sisterback.Do this fg.r*", and then together we will slay Carollar.You cah have the treasureshehasin her plan,tum cave.'If you are readyto agreeto Shevala's to 4.lf you are not,.you can talk to Carollar(turn to r95) or try someother strategy(turn to yz). :.1' 4 sister,the Vampirein the coffin As you despatch.,$s utters a terrible s:iieamof fury and sits bolt upright. Its eyes are sufftrbedwith blood, and clots of blood cakeits mouth.It hasbeenregainingits strengthin its coffin! It springsforward and attacksyou with all the strengthleft to it. It will use a do-or-diestrategynow, trying to reach your throat with its fangs and nails.

45

46-47

This meansthat its Attack Strengthis reduced(this is alreadytaken into accountin its srcln scorebelow) but, if it strikesyou, you must lose3 srAMrNApoints and then you haveto roll one dice.If you roll a 6, the Vampirestrikesan immenseblow and you must lose 6 sTAMINApoints - and, what is worse,you must roll two more dice at once. If the total rolled is greater thanyour CurrentsrAMrNAscore,you will die immediately from massive shockl Furthermore,how many actionsdid you perform before entering the archway that lead to this room? Divide the number of actions by two, then round any fractionsdown, to get a new total. Add that total to the Count'ssrAMrNAscoreas shownbelow. REIN E R HE Y DRI CH

s KIL L 1 1

s T A M IN A 10

If you win, tum to 4oo. As the gem strikesthe stiie, it seemsto draw power from the evil of the monolith: the heartbeatwiihin it grows swifter! You have madea terrible mistake;lose 5 Blood Points. What's more, as you strike the gem againstthe stonea wave of intensepain shootsthough your arrn and you feel as if you have just rammed your hand right into a stone wall. Deduct 3 points fromyour srAMrNA,andnow you must Testyouriuck.If you are Lucky, you sufferno further ill-effects.If you are Unlucky,you must alsolose 1 sKrLLpoint because of the damageto your hand and arm. What will you do now? If you have a magic swor4 you could strike the stonewith this (turn to yz).If you havesomeOil

you know the numberon the top of Disenchantment, of the vial. If you want to useit, tum to the paragraph with that number.Otherwise,you can only backtrack to the left-handpassage(tum to 565) or makefor the surface(tum to rj5). 46 Uncertainly,you approachthe front door of the mansion. It is a well-constructedbuilding with thick stone walls and slit windows with iron barsacrossto prevent entry. The eastand west wings of the housestandon eithersideof you barely visible through the mist. You are ponderingwhether to knock on the door or smash it down when it opensof its own accord!Beyondit is a single,long, narrow hallway, with doors at the far end (to the north) and on either side.There is no sign o[ anything, living or undead, but the hallway is carpetedin thick, deep-redpile, and small omaments Will vou: andbustsstandin wall-alcoves. Open the eastemdoor? Open the westemdoor? Open the northem door?

Tum to 549 Turn to r44 Tum to 255

It takessometime to q*"talrl the monk down - lose r Blood Point - but eventuallyhe respondsand tells you what he knows. A great Ghoul stormedthrough the cellsof the junior monks,Marcushas been murderedand Endrellis missing.Of the other Eldersthere is still no sign. A grim, hardenedwarrior confirmsthe monk's belief that the Ghoul from the crypts of the

4E-49

5esa

monastery- his skill at following a trail shows that it must have come from there. The monk also saw a large,batJike shapeswoop down towards the monastery before the Ghoul attacked, and some people mutter somethingabout the wolves baying in the area, which is most unusual,for thereis preciouslittle forest cover near by. This soundsworse by the minute, and you really must try to pursuethe coachnow. If you haveat least8 Gold Pieces,tum to 276.lf you do not havethis much,or if you won't pay, tum to zo3. 48 You sensethe presenceof undeadguardsbehind the secret door. You pick a stone up off the floor and throw it gently a short distanceahead;then you stand in the cornerand wait. The door opensand a ghoulish form appears;you strike at it from behind and manage a lucky blow to its spine!It loses4 srAMrNApoints (which have been subtractedfrom its total below). Gain r rucr point!As the pair of Ghoulsemerge,you canfight themone at a time in this comer. SKIL L

FirstGHOUL Second GHOUL

I 8

STA MIN A

3 /

If you are struck four times by the Ghouls,tum at onceto 84.|f you win, tum to zt5.

As you approachtt" ,.,*?ion, the skies grow dark and cloudy. A supematuralmist hangs round the forbidding stone walls that are looming into view.

Drawing your sword, you advancetowards the great iron gatesof the dismal edifice.The gatesare barred, and above them stone gargoyles leer down at you. The soundof fluttering wings makesyou look up, and you see bats flying from the gatepoststo the house itself.Will you: Try to force the iron gatesopen? Try to climb the walls? Walk round the walls and look for anotherentrance?

Tum to t47 Tum to r85 Tum to zr5

5o

coffin, tum to 6o. If you want to retreat and explore in the eastwing, tum to 3gg.lf you want to elsewhere headfor the west wing, tum to r44. 57-

You pick 6 Gold Piecesup off the floor and bundlethe papersinto your pocket,then you headdownstairsto leavethe tavem. Testyour Luck.lf you are Lucky, tum to r.If you areUnlucky,tum to ro5.

52

At the bar you ask politely where Harquarmay be found, and the landlord replieswith obvious distaste, 'Who's asking after him, then?'You give your name and add that you have come from Lake Libra, where there has been some trouble. The landlord clearly doesn'tIike the soundof that much,but he despatches his lackey of a barmaninto the pressof overdressed and noisy merchantsand scribeswho patronize this place.After a short time, you are directedto go to a far comer where a fat man swathed in rich, pastelcolouredsilkssits slurpinga bright blue drink. Harquar stretchesout a pudgy paw towards you and orders you to sit down in a high-pitchedsqueak.You don't like the look of him at all. He blathersabout nothing in particular for ages and is really a time-waster. you announcethat most of the Finally,exasperated, monks of the Halls of the Starshave been destroyed by a Vampireand that either he canhelp you find out why and give you somehelp,or elseyou are leaving. At oncehe looks seriousand says,'Comeand seeme tomorrow moming. I have a housewith a blue roof, next to OrcheadSquare.' If you are preparedto wait, and waste a whole night, lose r Blood Point. You can stay in an inn (which costs r Gold Piece)or sleeprough (you must eat a meal).If you have Bloodbane,the delay causesyou to lose r point from both your Initial and Current sTAMINA. Turn to 369.If you won't wait,it's too late to buy any equipment now. You can either leave, going north-eastwards(tum to r98), or make for

6v6r

5E-59 mostly simple farming folk - and you can find bams to sleepin at night and the occasionalbowl of soup and crust of bread.However, during this lengthy time of travel you must eat four mealsto supplementwhat you manageto beg (subtract4 from your Provisions), otherwiseyou will have to work for your suppernow and again (subtract z Blood Points). If you have Bloodbane,you must subtractz from both your lnitial and Current sreulNe scores.Finally,you find yourself trudging towards the farming hamlet of Stunkaster. The night is growin'g foggy and the air is very dAmp. If you have Lung Rot, you must lose z points from your srAMrNe.You heara woman'svoice crying out piteously; she is moaning, 'Murder! Murder!' If you want to find out what'sgoing on, tum to 3z8.lf you want to go straight on into Stunkaster,you soon arrive at the village inn; tum to zz6. 58 'But you cannot hope to destroy him,' Siegfriedadds miserably.'You have found the witches,but you did not find Reiner'ssoul gem.You will be too late.'You havefailedand your adventureendshere. 59 The stablemengrab heavy pitchforksto defendthemselvesagainstyour attack.You must fight them both togetherhere. SKIL L

FirstSTABLEMAN SecondSTABLEMAN

4

S TA MIN A 1

6

If you win, attacking these men was an evil thing to do. After all, they were only ordinary working men and hired hands; lose r FAIrH point. You take z Gold Piecesfrom one of them, then you saddle your horse for the chase.Tum to 17. 6o You slash at the black wood of the cofftn with your sword, but this is a trap set for the unwaryl The Count sleeps in coffins that have been left open, and this sealed one is not one of his resting places.As you strike down, whirring metal blades fly up from the brass handles on either side of the coffin and from the plaque set into its top. Test your Skill. lf you are successful,you suffer no more than flesh wounds - but several of them; lose 4 sTAMINA points. If you fail, your sword arm suffers a deep wound in addition to numerousflesh wounds; lose 5 sTAMINApoints and r point from your sKILt. Angry at your misfortune,you retire and find somewhere else to explore; do you want to searchin the east wing (turn to 599) or the west wing (tum to r4+)? 6t You feel you must do some exploring now; you are losing time. So, will you: Look for Marcus, if you haven't spoken to him yet? Go to Endrell'sroom, if you haven't done so already? Explore the monastery further?

Tum to 556 Tum to r5z Tum to z5z

55 anotherplaceaway from Farleigh(tum to 5o4); or you couldfollow Harquarto his house(tum to 246).

This is the magicsword'liip".utor', and it is a mighty weapon indeed.It adds r to your Attack Strengthin all combats,but it adds z to your Attack Strength against all undead.It also has three specialpowers which you should use with great care.First, it can once and once onlj - deliver an especiallypowerful strike against any Vampire or Vampyre. You must decidewhen to use this power beforeyou roll dice for Attack Strengths. If you have the higher Attack Strength, Imperator will inftct 8 points of damage upon your enemy. If you have the lower Attack Strength,this specialattackis dissipatedand lost, and you cannot attempt it again.Secondly,Imperatorwill automaticallydispel and negate any one (and only one!) spell cast against you. You can choose which spell attack this will be, and you can then ignore instructionsaboutlost srAMrNA,sxrlr, etc.,causedby the spellattack.Thirdly, the sword containsa reservoir of healingand restoringmagic.If you have any afflictions (Lung Rot, say),the sword curesthem all. If you have lost any sKrrl points through attacksfrom the undeador their like, Imperatorwill restoreyour sKrLL to its Initiallevel.Gain 2 LUcKpointsfor this wonderful find! Then the knight's ghost ushersyou out of the tomb, and you make for the door halfway along the passagebeyond the tombs,and open it. Tum to 393.

54-57 54 You don't want to get too closeto the body, but you poke about at the tray and find a pot of thick, gluey resin and a vial of strong acid.You may take theseif you like. Now you must Tesfyour Luck. If you are Lucky,tum to ry7.|f you areUnlucky,tum to r79. 55 A sign on this door reads,'Laboratory.DO NOT tum ENTER.'If you don't want to disturbthe occupant, you to 7 to explore elsewhere.Otherwise, can either knockon the door and wait for a response(tum to rz6) or simply forcethe door openand go in (tum to 5r5). 56 'SomethingI found puzzlesme,' you say to Marcus. You admit that you have enteredSewarth'sroom, and explainwhat you found.'BELOW - he wrote that in capitals.What was he referringto?' Marcuslooks pale and very fearful.'He must meanthe crypts,'hemutters,'wherethe deadmonksareinterred. He must have hidden somethingthere.' Marcus tells you that the entry to the crypts canbe found through the kitchens,next to the dining hall, in the west wing of the monastery.If you want to make for the west wing now, tum to t-97. lf you prefer to explore elsewhere in the eastwing, tum to 265. 57 An endlessplain stretchesahead of you in central Analand.The peoplehereaboutsare friendly enough-

6z-65

6z To climb the railings,you must Testyour Skill.lf you do not haveany rope,you must add z to the numbers rolled on the dice.If you are successful, you clamber over the railings and enter the courtyard;tum to 156. If you fail, you fall off half-wayup; lose 1 srAMrNA point. You can continue Testingyour Skill until you succeed,or you canabandonthe attemptand makefor the front door instead(tum to 46).

65 Among the bodies,you find + Gold Pieces,and a flask of oil. The rusted chainmailarrnour the bodies once wore is uselessnow, as are the brittle and rust-flecked metalhelmetsof the long-deadknights.But you also find a curiouskey, which looks as iiit had beln made out of bone and then sprayedwith molten silver.Take the SkeletonKey, and makea note of the fact that it has r3 notchescut along its length. Then you hear somethingheavy moving immediatelybehind you

6+-6s and,beforeyou can stop yourself,you tum aroundand find yourself looking a huge Basiliskright in the eye! Testyour Luck.If.you are Unlucky, you will be tumed to stone and your adventure ends here. If you are Lucky,twnto t77. 64 You have despatchedone of Count Heydrich's vile and evil minions.Gain r FAIrHpoint! You find a pair of keys on her body which, you guess,will open the here. lockeddoor you found in one of the passages Exploringthe rest of the witch's den turns up nothing of value.If you want to go and openthat lockeddoor now, turn to zgg.If you want to hazardgoing through the archway,despite the magical barrier set upon it, bumto 264.Otherwise,you returnto the mainpassage. You can now head for the surface(tum to r4i or go to the cavern at the very end of the Passagebelow groundif you haven'tbeentherebefore(tum to zo6). 65 When you open the door quietly, a vivid shaft of blue-whitelight streamsout of the small,hot chamber. .A. figure is seated with its back to you, and the doakedand robed figure holds a long glasstube in its metal gauntlets.As you gazeat it, the figure places one end of the tube in an intenseblue flame coming kom a sizeablebronzelamp.On the table at which the frg*e. is working are numerousintricate glassvessels and pip:esand a smallnumberof sealedvials of liquids and oils. If you want to enter here, tum to t58. lf 1-ou'drathernot do so,tum to lgg.

66-67 66 A wolf pack comes racing into the clearing and circles round you, before their pack leader rushes in for the kill! Fight the wolf pack as if it were one opponent.

WO L F -P A CK

s x rrr 8

S TA MIN A

10

If you win, you canperform one action,suchas eating a meal or drinking someliqueur,before a final wolf is upon you! This one is clearly bigger than the others. Its pawsalsohavean almosthand-likeappearance, and its face is not quite the right shapefor a wolf. The green glittering eyes are full of malice,however, and the teeth protruding from its slavering muzzle are sharp and keen.

WEREWOLF

sxln 8

sr AM r NA 9

Checkyour currentsrevrNe scoreboth at the beginning and at the end of the fight with the Werewolf. If, at the end of the fight, it is half or Iessof what it was at the start of the fight, tum to r85. Otherwise,tum to 242. 67 The 'Rat and Bat' is not an agreeableplace but the food is plentiful, even if doesn't taste very good. The clientelearen't pleasantcompany, either: most of them seem to be as thick as they are smelly. You fill your stomach and retire to your room to get some badly neededsleep.This is going to delay you; lose r Blood Point. You begin to doze off. Test your Spot Skill. If you are successful,tum to ryg.If you fail, tum to 474.

6E_"7t

7243

68 Your arrow passes harmlessly between two of the Skeleton's bones! Immediately the guards come alive and attack you. Tum to ro4.

69 Endrell isn't aware of your Presenceuntil you leap down the few remainingstepsand strike at him with your swordlHe is off-guard;Testyour Skill.lf you are successful,you wound him before he can react. He losesz points from his sTAMINAand you regain r rucx point! Whether you succeedor fail, you must now fight the furiousmonk. ENDRELL

SKILL9

ST A MIN A

11

If you win, tum to to5.

7o You book yourself a room and eat a hearty breakfast' You are very tired from riding all night, and you need to sleep.If you decideto go straightto sleep,tum to 57g. If you would rather search the coaching inn without delay,tum to rzz.

Chiselledstone stepst"iJ ao*nwards into utterly dark,infemaldepths.You comeat lastto a plainstone landing, where you can hear and smell the occupants before you can see them. Another Ghoul pack is feasting on the bones of the dead here, snarling and growling as they feed. They sense your approach

and are ready when you reach them. You have no altemative but to fight; you can fight the entire group as if they were a single opponent.

G HO UL P A CK

SKILL 9

S TA MIN A

10

If the Ghouls strike you three times, tum at once to 84. If you win, tum to t4g. 72

Whatever you attempt here, the witches intend to destroyyou. You will have to fight for your life! Tum to z6y. 73 Drifting along the passagewaytowards you is a wispy, spectral figure; it is vaguely human, with shrivelled features and bony limbs. The creature gives out a physical chill, and it scrabbles for your throat like a blind thing. You could flee this combat; if you want to run away, tum to t4s.lf you prefer to stand and fight, the Witch-wraith is resistant to non-magical weapons. If you do not have a magic sword, you must roll one dice whenever you strike it. If you roll 14, the creature loses only 1 srAMrNA point instead of the usualtwo.

WITCH-WRAITH

sxln 8

S TA MIN A

O

If you win, did the creaturestrike you at all?f it did, roll one dice.If you roll r ot 2, the life-drainingpower of the wraith inflictsgrievousharm on you: you must deductr point from your srrrr! And is this the worst of the horrors to be found in this chill and deadly

74-75

76

place?If you want to continueonwards,tum to zo6.lf you prefer to backtrackand take the left forh tum to 565.1f you decideto retum to the surface,tum to 'r4574 Sleepdoesn'tcomeeasily:the bed is very hard and it gets cold at nights. The blanketsmay be rough but they don't keep you warrn - they actually help to keepyou awake,they're so ticklish.You toss and tum fittully.Will you: Try to get back to sleep? Find Endrellto talk somemore,if you haven't done so already? Find Marcusto talk further,if you haven't done so already? Get up and explorethe monastery?

Turn to 526

Tum to r5z Tum to 556 Tum to z5z

You don't sensethe or"lfn." of a pair of Ghouls lu*ing behind the secretdoor, but you .re aware of the possibilityof a trap, so when they leap out you are not taken by surprise.You have to fight the Ghoulstogether. SKIL L

FirstGHOUL GHOUL Second

I 8

S TA MIN A

7 7

If you are struck four times by the Ghouls, tum at onceto 84. If you win, tum to zt5.

76 Beyond the archway is a chamberso small that its walls seemto pressin on you. The witch must have slept in a hammock,which you find heavily infested with lice. You pick up a locked box and flip back the gilded fastenings.Inside you find a pair of metal gauntlets,which fit you well; they aremagicaland will add r to your Attack Strength in combats!You also ftnd two potion bottles. One, you realizefrom careful sniffing and testing, is a Potion of Stamina. This restoreslost sravrNe points equalto half your Initial total (roundfractionsup).You candrink it at any time, exceptduring combat.The other bottle you simply cannot identify; you will have to find a herbalist or alchemistto identify it for you, or just take a risk and swig it sometime- but not until mattersaredesperate! You will be offered the option of consuming this unknownpotion later when it becomesrelevant.This unknown potion has a seriesof scratchesalong the glass- rr in all (makea note of this number).Lastof all, you ftnd a singlescroll.Unrolling it, you seeit is the witches' pact with Heydrich, and it is written in blood!The detailsaretoo revoltingfor you to want to rememberthem,but at the very end of the pact there is a referenceto a dreadful-sounding place:the Ghoulcrypts. Heydrich has gone here to resurrectancient allies from part of a great necropolisknown as the Graveyardof Vampires.With this army of undeadat his call, he plans to overwhelm the Old World. The witches have been offered rulership of Analand in refurn for their help in preservinghis soul gem, the red crystal heart which makes him invulnerable-

77-78 unlessit can be destroyed. You pocket your treasures and leave. Now you can make for the cave at the end of the passage,if you have not been there before (turn to zo6), head for the surface(tum to r4E), or unlock the door in the passage, if you haven't done so already (turn to 259). 77 As you swallow the potion, your mouth feels as if it is on firel For a moment you think you must have swallowed a mouthful of pepper: a burning pain fills your lungs and stomach, and you desperately gulp cold air in - and exhale. What you breathe out is a wall of fire, which hits the waterfall and instantly generates a cloud of superheated steam. Standing where you are, you are almost steamedalive! Deduct 8 points from your srAMrNA. If you are still alive, all you can do is descend using climbing boots and a rope, if you have them (tum to ry6), or dive in and hope for the best (tum to 265). y8 Igor was a dangerous enemy becauseof his sword this is a magic sword, which will add r to your Attack Strength in combat. Gain r rucr point. You also find a gold ring set with sevenmoonstones,which is worth ro Gold Pieces.Gain z Blood Points for disposingof one of Heydrich's most valued servantslYou return to the passageoutside the room. You should now explore somewhereyou have not been before. If you want to make for the southerndoor, turn to t5r-. To explore the eastwing, turn to 3gg; for the west wing, tum to r44.

79-80 79 You can get absolutely no senseout of the man. He just keeps repeating, 'Tell the Count the work will be done soon.' You are about to give up on him when you hear footsteps approaching. You duck behind the door and wait. The footsteps come to a halt right outside the door. If your FArrH score is 7 or lower, tum to ng.If your FArrH scoreis 8 or higher, tum to 227-.

8o You explain what happened in Endrell's chambers. You say that you meant the monk no harm, and that you fought only in self-defence.You beg Marcus to come and look at the Mortvanian book you found, but he does not believe you. He forces you out of his room and shuts and bolts his door. You're on your own now and must explore the monastery without delay.Tum to z5z.

8r,.-82

8r 'Ye want to take care at the Dome,' Old Grundy says as he puffs at his stinking old pipe. 'Get rockfalls from above down the airhole, like. And when yer gets past the flitch of bacon, take the left-hand path towards the pillars. Go right, and there's a dead end. Some men got ate up there by cave eels; there's a whole nest of 'em down there. Be careful in the poached egg chamber, there'slots of gas thereabouts.If there be anything under the old mines, look below the cascade.There's a sheer drop there, down to whatever lies below, like.' You thank Grundy for his help and reel away from the stinking miasma of pipe smoke, gratefully breathing in big gulps of fresh air outside the inn. You follow the directions he gave you towards the mines, but you must lose r Blood Point for the delay. Turn to r54. 8z Sandar looks down at the destroyed Zombies with an expressionof utter horror. He begins to shakeand you have to sit him down and give him some water and wine before he can speak. He is indeed the missing Elder of the monastery you have come from, and he is appalled when you tell him what happened there. 'l knew some evil had come upon us. I warned Sewarth not to meddle with such evil, it was tempting fate,'he laments. 'l can't remember anything at all from the past - what day is it?' You tell him. 'The last three weeks are a complete blank,' he says miserably. 'That wretched amulet!' Further talk reveals that Sandar remembers nothing about Heydrich, the Vampire you are pursuing. He can scarcelyeven remember what is

E5 in the house. He sits, slumpedand sweatingwith fear. You suspectthat Heydrich must have abducted and kept him here for some purpose - initially, to find out what was known by the monks, perhaps, and later on as a plaything to amusehimself with. However, you avoided killing him and that was a noble act. Gain r FAIrH point. You can take Sandar back to the hamlet and safety and then go on your way (turn to 8g) or you can explore the house (tum t o u 4 ).

83 Throwing a small missile at such long range is difficult. Test your Skill, adding 5 to the total rolled. If you are successful,the Count is splashed by the acid and loses 2 sTAMINA points; if you roll a total of z or 5 on the dice, you manage to hit him fair and 'square, and he loses 4 STAMINApoints! Make a note of any lossesto the Count's STAMINAon your Adoen' ture Sheet.Now, you can fire a longbow, if you have one (turn to lq), use Blackfire, if you have some (tum to z1t), or rush towards the Vampire with your sword bared (tum to 275). If you fail, he hurls a volley of magical darts at you and they bum their

84-86

way into your flesh; deduct 5 points from your sTAMINA.The pain gives you a jolt and you rush at him; tum to 275. 84 The poisoned claws of the Ghoul paralyse you! It slobberswith joy as it reachesout to your flesh.Your adventureendshere!

The door hereis locked. smashit down if you "u. "lt, want to; tum to ro9. Altematively, you cantry to pick the lock. Testyour 5kil4 unlessyou have a flaskof oil to lubricate the lock, you must add z to the total rolled. If you are successful, tum to t84.lf you fail, you can either try to smashthe door down (tum to ro9) or give up and searchelsewhere(tum to Z).

86 The wolves soon overcome the poor wretch and gorge themselves on a midnight feast of flesh. When they are sated, you go over and inspect the bodies. One of the men has 6 Gold Pieces in a pouch, which you can take. You must lose r Blood Point for the

E7-E8 delay while waiting, and z FAIrH points for your callous indifference io the man's fate' You will have to behave more honourably in future, or you will have no hope of overcoming Heydrich the Vampire! Retum to the trail; tum to r48.

89

table which dominatesthis spaciouschamber,and fine thomwood chairsring it. A singledoor leadingto the kitchens can be seen at the eastem end. A large tigerskin rug is draped over the floor - despiteyour misgivings,it isn't about to come to life and leap on you. However,the dining-roomdoor slamsshutbehind you and locks itself, and suddenlyall the cutlery and crockeryon the table flies up into the air and swarms towards you, beating and thumping you! Deduct r point from your srAMrNn.Tesfyour SpotSkill.lf you succeed, tum to z48.If you fail,loseanothersrAMrNA point through being battered by a 'foe' you cannot fight offl Test your Spot Skill repeatedly until you eithersucceedor succumbto the unseenblows.

EZ away from the monaseastwards leads Only one road along it' By good you gallop teries of Lake Libra, so

tum to a6'lf you fail,tum to rE9' successful, 88 You enter the Count'sdining hall' Silverplates,cutlery and tureens adom the lace cloth on the rosewood

E9 As you set off on your way, the skiesdarkenand peals of thunder can be heardcoming from the north. Dark clouds scud acrossthe sky and the wind lashesinto your face.You almosthaveto closeyour eyesagainst the dust and dirt being blown into your face,so the first you know about the impendingdangeris when a GiantRavenpecksat yow neck!Fortunatelyit is only a glancingblow; deduct r point from your srAMrNA. If you are walking, ftght normally. If you are on horseback,it is hard for you to control your horseand

92-95

9r9a

swing a sword at the sametime: subtractr from your ettu;t Strength.If you wish to, you candismountand fight normally,but you must lose z more STAMINA piitttt as the Ravensattackyou while you are getting to the ground. FirstGIANT RAVEN SecondGIANT RAVEN

SKI LL n n

ST A MIN A

6 6

If you win, did you fight on horsebackfor the entire .o*butl If you did, tum to t6z' Otherwise' tum to t8. 9o Your snooping has uro,'rrld Endrell's suspicions'and he has given you a poisoneddrink' You fail to wake up; your adventureendshere' 97, You find a magnificentsuii of chainmailarmourin the tomb room. Ti'is adds r to your Attack Strengthin all

excellentfind!

I will allow you to make a second choice.' You may now enter one more tomb. Will it be that of:

The first Knight? The third Knight? The fourth Knight? The fifth Knighr?

It is the middleof the

Tum to 15 Tum to zz4 Turn to z9z Tum to 5r4

and settingout for the

mansionis not a wise "i3fit, idea when you are still very sleepyand more than a little shakenby the shockof your attack. You are not far from the village when you are overwhelmedby fatigue,and you cannottake anotherstep.You stumbleinto a grassyhollow, pull your blanket over you, and fall asleep.You wake up on a cloudy, dark morning, stiff and h*gry. You feel weak and lethargic; deduct z points from your sTAMINA" and now you must eat a meal.Worse still, you feel a shalp pang on your neck.To your horror, you discover that one of the vampire bats of the mansionhas been feastingon your blood during the nightl No wonder you feel so weak.You are suffering now from Latent Vampirism.You had best get this cured swiftly, otherwiseyou will becomeone of the Count'sminions!Tum to 49. 95 You prise open the lock and slip into the darkened room. Using your lantem, a quick examinationshows that all the fumiture here has been covered with drapesand a couple of bookcasesand chestshave

94

been chainedand padlocked.Someoneseemsto think that Sewarthisn't coming backfor a very long time yet you were told he would be away for only a day or two. You are growing steadilymore suspiciousnow. It to explore this room, but if will be time-consuming you wish to do so tum to 4r.. Otherwise, you can in the eastwing (tum to 265)or head searchelsewhere for the westwing (tum to r97).

The Count has sent tti, h,ii". after you! The creature comes into view in the gloom. It is manlike and carries a huge wooden club, studded with chunks of metal. It wears only black sacking and appears to have been cobbled together from bits of various bodies' The monster stands an arm's length taller than you and is immensely muscular and strong. It seemsto be sniffing at the ground around, as if trailing someone. But you have the advantage of surprise here. If you have a longbow, you can fire an alrow at the creature, so subtract z points from the monster's sTAMINAtotal

95 when you meet it. If you don't have a longbow, you still gain a slight advantageby leapingout of .o.r"., so you can add z to your Attack Strengthin the first AttackRound.Tum to r9o. 9Je"0 The Vampyre'sbite *o", into your throat. you are bleeding profusely, and from now on you will automaticallylose 1 srAMrNApoint each and every Attack Round (in addition to any other damagefrom her attacks)until the combatendsand you canitaunch and bind the wound. Worse still, you have Latent Vampirism!You needto get this curedswiftly - if you can!If you alreadyhave this affliction,the bite of the Vampyrepiercesyour windpipe and you are instantly killed. Now retum to the paiagraphyou came from and resumg the ftght - but il tha Vampyre has an Attack Strengthof zr againduring the iombat, you will be killed outright, and your adventurewill in ".,Jthe a fate far worse than death,for you will rise from graveasone of Heydrich'sundeadservants!

g6-gv 96 You liberate the ghostly essence of the creature happed within! You are in desperatedanger now. The Vampire-Ghost sealedinside the flask attacks at once. If you do not have a magic sword, you cannot harm this creature,and you will be slain here. VAMPIRE-GHOST

sKrLL9

srAMrNA12

If you win, you gain r FArrH point for defeating such a ierrible enemy. Did the Vampire-Ghost strike you even once?If it did, you must roll one dice, and, if you roll any number other than 6, you must lose 1 sKrLL point becauseof the life-draining blow of the infernal thing. You don't want to risk another combat of this Lype, so you leave at once and search elsewhere.Tum

to z. 97 With a great effort you force open the door and find yourself in a cavemousroom where a single stone tomb is all you can see. It has a sculptedsurface depictinga slim and beautifulwoman with long, lustrous hair. The tomb appearsto be sealed,and you have no way of openingit; somehowyou have the feeling that the tomb is empty anyway. You can now either go through the illuminatedarchwayfar to the north (tum to tz) or try the other southem door, if you haven't done so already(tum to r5z). ,{lternatively, you can leave the crypts and return to the entrancehall of Mortus Mansion to get your bearingsand find somewhereelse to search(turn to 274).

98-1oo

98 'Oh, that,' he says, looking greatly amused.'l can give you something for that. I will give it to you without charge,if you will tell me how you came.by such a malady.' You don't want to reveal all the details,so you make up a tale about encounteringa great bat flying near a monastery- but he wheedles out of you the nameof the monastery.He gives you a strange stare as he offers you a herbal mixture as a cure.If you want to drink it, tum to zz&.lf you don't fanry taking the risk, tum to 468. 99 You stumbleas you land and you go sprawlingon the rock-hardfloor. Meanwhile the witch has conjured a blastof fiery smokefrom her cauldron;lose5 STAMINA points. Worse still, a clawed reptilian horror has emergedfrom it to slither acrossthe rock and block your path to her. The greenscalybrute isn't especially Iarge or menacing,but you will have to slay it before you canfight the witch herself. sKrLL 7

CAULDRON LIZARD

6 STAMINA

While you are fighting this guardian, the witch is invoking a lengthy spell. If you kill the lizard before the fourth Attack Round,tum to ry5. lf the lizard is still alive afterthreeAtta& Rounds,fum to ru. 1.OO

Roban gives you r Gold Piecesand buys you some food for your joumey ahead;add 3 to your Provisions. He wishesyou well and,while he doesn'twant to pry,

asksif there is any other help you need.you hesitate for a moment,then you say ihat yo.r have comefrom a monasterywhere there has been much trouble; you are seekingthe causeof that trouble. This is true, of course,but it doesn't give too much away.you mention the namesof the Eldersof the monastery,and he rubs his chin thoughtfully. 'There are no monks or monasterieshere,'he says,'but there is a scholarhere who, I believe,spentsometime at LakeLibra and who may well know somethingof use to you. His nameis Harquar,and you can find him at the Golden Goose. He's quite sociablefor a scholar.'You thank Robanfor his help.Now, will you: Buy somesuppliesor equipment? Try to find out if there is a sageor scholarhere who may be helpful to you? Continueon your way northeastwards? Make for the Golden Goosetavem? Leavethe village altogether?

Tum to zg5

Tum to 573 Tum to r9g Tum to rz5 Tum to 5o4

You clamberup into tt of a tree, and the "tilL.n"sfrom howling wolf packsoon appears the distantforest and snufflesaround at its foot. Wolves aren't good tree-climbers,however, and you are safehere. Iiyou have a horsewith you, though, the wolves attackand eatit. The wolves do not leaveuntil daybreafuyou lose r Blood Point for the delay and,becauseyou can't rest or sleep,you must eat a mealand still losez srAMrNA

to4

ao2-Lo3

points from fatigue.When the wolves have departed, you canretum to the main trail. Tum to r48. ao2

A terrible yelping scream,like some horror from the Abyss, howls all round you - and you soon seewhy' a horror from the Abyss has indeed been summoned to deal with you! A huge hound, as long from snout to barbed tail as you are tall, stands before you, breathing fire and acid. Its paws are the size of a horse'shoof, and its teeth are as long as daggers.Its snarl freezesthe very blood in your veins! You have just a little time to run after the monstrosityhas materializedin mid-air in front of you. You can get to the first door along the passageand open it safely, slammingit behindyou to keep the horror out. If you chooseto do this, tum to zzz.If you want to makea dashfor the door at the far end of the passage,you'll have to run like a hare with a gale blowing behind it if you're going to makeit. If you want to try, tum to z66.lf you decideto standandfight, tum to 5zz. The corridor leads i^totl5*"te of catacombsand The skeletonsof long-deadmonksgaze passageways. at you from alcovesin the walls,and bones,dust and cobwebsare everywhere.You hardly know where to beginexploringdown here.This is going to takeyou quitesometime.Roll one diceanddivide the numberby z, roundingfractionsup; this is the numberof Blood Pointsyou loseduringyour extendedsearch.Eventually you see a silver tube gleaming in an alcove, and

cautiouslyyou take it down. Inside are somecarefully copiednotes,madeby Sewarthhimself.You sit down to readby the light of your lantem,your heartbeating fast. 'Heydrichknows of our letters.I believehe haseven comrpted this place with his influence.But is it Endrell,Marcusor Sandarhe hastainted?All of them avoidme now, yet noneis a vampirehimself- I am sureof that.Heydrichmusthavecomrptedhis victim with the lure of power, or hypnotized him into his service.I must send word to Henrik regarding the Soul Gem the Vampirenow has;until it is found,he will be invulnerable,it will be absolutelyimpossible to slay him. I know who craftedit, and what magic wasused- I haverecordedthesefactsin my Codex, which I have hidden carefully.And I know where Heydrichhasmadehis homein theselands.' Alas,the map that was sketchedbelow thesenotesis illegible- it is smearedand smudged.However,you are surethat, whereverthe monstermay be, he lies to the north-eastfrom here, but you cannot tell exactly where.But at leastyou havelearnedof somesecretof his, a magically crafted gem, so gain z Blood Points. Of the preciousCodex,which could tell you so much, thereis no sign.Tum to z. ao4 You must fight the animatedSkeletonHorde as if it wereone opponent. SKELETONHORDE

srcrlr8

srAMrNA1j

ro5-to7

ro8-ro9

If you win, you cantakethe left-handtuming (tum to. t64) or walk straightahead(turn to zoz). ao5 Halfway down the stairs you bump into the landlord and he seesblood on your sleeve!His eyeswiden and he pushespastyou into the old man'sroom. You run out of the tavem as he startsbellowing,callingout the town militia. As you run towards the edge of the village, a coupleof purly warriorsfrom the guard yell at you to halt. If you decideto stop and tell them the truth about what happened,tum to r'6o. If you prefer to keepon running,turn to r. to6 As the mist-clouddrifts into the archway,you notice a suddenflare of silvery light round the edges of the left-handarchwayopposite.This makesyou suspicious! Will you now enter the darknessof the right-hand archway (turn to zt7) or the left-hand archway (tum to 284),or will you performsomeother action(tum to r-gz)? ao7

You push open the door of an unusedguestroom. If you wish to do so, you can make a brief search;Tesf yourLuck.lf you are Lucky,you find 5 Gold Piecesin a pouchcarelessly left behind.If you areUnlucky,you find nothing. If you don't want to Testyour Luck,you don't have to do so. Now you must searchthe east wing further (turn to z6j or makefor the west wing (tum to r97).

ro8 As you approachthe stables,the dark coachwith its horsemanbolts from inside. The horses gallop away like the wind. You race for your own hoise, but two burly stablemenstand in your way. "Ere, we fed and watered'im,' one of them says.'Ate almost his own weight,he di4 greedydevil.'You stare,dismayed,at a very smug,fat-belliedand probably slow horse.'Cost yer a gold, that will.' If you have a Gold Pieceand are preparedto pay to get your horseback,tum to ry.If you haven't any gold left or if you won't pay, you could fight the stablemen;tum to 59 if you chooseto do this. If you choosenot to take your horse,do you have a Codex with you? If you have, you know how many pages it has; tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber.Otherwise,tum to zyg. This door contains hap, for one of the " secrets "l;;", lies behind Count-sbest-guarded it. Whining metalbladesfly from the door frameand cut deepinto your armsand legs;lose 4 srAMrNApoints,and you mustnow Testyour Luck.lf you are Lucky,you suffer no worse consequences. If you are Unlucky,you must loser point from your sKrLLbecause of the damageto your weaponarm.Tum to r.84.

Labaat

You follow a long

ffiing

passage with miners,

marksscratchedon "nd the walls,but as you do not know their secret signs you cannot decode them. As the passagewidens,holes in the walls wide enough to stick an arm into begin to appear.Somehave timbersstill stuck inside them, but others are hollow. -tt"d As you useyour lantemto peerinto the gloom ahead, the mottled head of a Rock Eel strikeswith amazing speedout of one of the holesand triesto sinkits lawi into you. The thing has four very shalp front teeth, and if it bitesyou it will hangon like a limpeilAs you strike at the Eel, other heads and iaws shoot out throughthe holesand attackyoul Fighi the Eelpackas if it were one opponent.If you are struck twice,

RO CK E E LP A CK

s rrrr 8

S TA MIN A

10

If you win, you seemany more of the Rock Eels ahead

aal,

u4-uO

II2-r7-3

the total is less than your FAIrH score, you must you subtract r point from your Attack Strength until defeather. Turn to t55. a7-2

Doors leadto the east west from this room.If "J?" you want to openthe door to the east,turn to ry5.If you want to headwest,turn to 258. Return to your room and go back to Turn to 526 sleep? Look f^orMarcus to talk with him, if Tum to 556 you haven't done so already? to z5z Tum monastery? Explore elsewherein the

One of the witches ,"",lttro be intrigued by you, while the others look at you with hate-filledeyes. Turn to 45.

rt6 The claws of the horror are encrustedwith filth and rotting flesh, and as it strikes you it poisons your blood. You now have Bloodbane (make i note oi this on your AdoenfureSheet).This will weaken you slowly over time, so you will have to find help and healing rvithin a few days. Tum to tyz.

Ta5

t

7-L7-aTg tL7

with a wave of the hand and you are retumed to your own world and find yourself outside Mortus Mansion' Turn to 57.

The letters contain u .o,loT of diagrams of mystical wards which Sewarth and Harquar had experimented on. One of these looks very like the pattern you can see glowing faintly in the archway. You follow the instructions in the letter for removing the barrier and, to your delight,it winks out of existence!Gain r rucx point. Turn to 76. 7-27

tt9 Your horse (if you had one) has boltedl From now on' you have to go on foot. This loses you time; lose r blood Point. Also, if you have Bloodbane, you must of your Current and lnitial subtract r from "a.hto 16z. sTAMINAscores.Tum aL9 unseen person outside the the to The saddler tums 'Tell the Count the work will soon room and mutters, be done.' The footsteps retreat into the distance'Gain 1 LUcKpoint for avoiding a very dnpleasantencounter! Now yo, may take the lantern (turn to 286) or decide to leave the coach-house and make for the main mansion house (turn to 46).

The fiery horror can bum for only a very short time, then it will be destroyed. For two Attack Rounds, however, it is able to fight you. If you have the higher Attack Strength,when it tries to strike you it misses.If it has the higher Attack Strength, it will damage you with a dreadful mixture of acid, fire and superheated metal; if the monster strikes you, you must lose 4 srAMrNApoints.If you are still alive when the monster dies,tum to zg4.

7-22-425

a'24 1-22,

You find a young chambermaid taking fresh linen and bedding out of a cupboard; you ask her if there are any rooms she has been told not to enter. Shegiggles a little and says that the gentleman in room number five doesn't want to be disturbed on account of the young lady with him, who isn't really his wife. You interrupt to say that this doesn't interest you. Looking thoughtful, she says that she isn't to go into - and then she stops dead and her eyes glaze over. It is as if shehas a men[al block and cannot spea'kabout something. Intrigued, you don't pressthe point but walk away. However, you hang around in the corridors and observe that she puts clean bedding outside all the rooms bar two: the fifth room and one at the far end of the corridor. You wait for the young girl to leave,and now you have a simple choice. You can enter that farthestroom (tum to z6) or go back to your own room and get some rest (turn to 37g).

The Golden Goose is a flashy place frequentedby the well-to-do, and the guard standing at the door to keep riff-raff out looks like a half-Troll. Certainly he doesn't care much for the look of you. You will have to bribe him with r Gold Pieceto get in. If you pay up, tum to 5z.If you can't or won't pay, will you:

Buy somesuppliesor equipment? Tum to a85 LeaveFarleighand set off northeastwardsafter Heydrich? Tum to r98 LeaveFarleighfor someother area? Tum to 5o4 a24 'AIl my gold, yes, and my magic too! I've got a Iovely pair of gauntlets for you, dearie, that I have. All in there! Just don't kill me!' Shp tells you the magical key words which she says will bypass the magical ward on the archway. The cowardly witch slobbers and drools and cries to herself. You know the witches are in league with him, so you ask her about Count Heydrich, the Vampire you seek. But she grows terrified and will not speakof him beyond muttering a few words. 'The heart,' you hear her whisper. 'The heart!' You force the truth out of her, her sister has the crystal heart of Count Heydrich. The three witches together enchanted the thing to restore him to life or to undeath, to be more accurate - and in retum Heydrich has offered them the rulership of southern Analand, 'after he has brought back -' and then she will say no more. You can now kill her (tum to 64) or tie her up and leave her here while you explore this place. If you do the latter, Testyour Spot Skill.lf you are successful, turn to 168. If you fail, tum to 586.

1 25-a27

to 377-. L26

to y15). 7.27

below,you mustfight'

t3ba51

t2Fr2,9

MORTVANIAN

ZOMBIE

sKILL7

sTAMINA7

If you win, you find a single Gold Piece in the hay. Now you can go up to the house (turn to r:66) or think better of it and head off north-eastwards after the Count (tum to 89). r.zB Shaking and startled, you finally overcome your evil opponent. Gain z Blood Points for slaying one of the Count's servitorsl The young man stirs and groans: you bind his wound and help him to a sitting position. He mumbles, 'She was so beautiful,' but he seems to be rambling so that you can't get any sense out of him. You help him into Stunkaster and take him to the small tavem where, by good fortune, it tums out that he is the son of the landlord. Gain 1 LUcK point. you are given free board and lodgings for the night. Tum to zz6, but ignore the instruction about payment in that paragraph.

You should know bette.t'rrlu.r to enter the kitchens, where four of the Count's Zombie servants are busy chopping up food with heavy meat cleavers. They tum and look at you with vacant expressionson their slowly disintegrating faces.Roll one dice and add a.If the total is less than your FArrH score, the Zombies back away from you as you approach,allowing you to explore the kitchens; tum to 524. lf the total is equal to or greater than your FArrH score, the Zombjes attack you at once. They are slow, however, and you

may flee this combatif you want to. If you decideto run, turn to lgg.If you decideto standand fight, fight the Zombiesasif eachpair wasa singleopponent. SKILL

FirstZOMBIE PAIR SecondZOMBIE PAIR

n

8

S TA MIN A

8 8

If you win, tum to 524.

The Revenant is destror":t;, the magic you employ. Before you lies the entrance to the crypts of Mbrfus Mansion. If you are carrying some letters and wish to consult them now, you know how many pages they comprise. Multiply that number by ten, then turn to the paragraph with the same number. If you do not have these letters, you have a simple choice: you can either enter the crypts now (tum to fi7) or search elsewhere in the mansion (turn to I); but make a note on your Adoenture Sheet that you can retum to the entrance to the crypts later on by tuming to tB7.

This door is locked. If uff;"* to open it, you can either smash it down (if you do this, turn to j.g4, or try to pick the lock. If you want to pick the lock, you must Tesf your Skill, adding z to the dice roll, because this is not a simple task. If you have a flask of oil to lubricate the lock mechanism, though, you do not have to add z to the total rolled. If you are successful, tum to z55.If you fail, tum to r94.

454-455

L52-1,35

your worst! If you want to attack Shevala,turn to zor. If you decide to go and deal with Carollar hersell tum to zyy.lf you want to retreat from the area but keep a watch on it, tum to 245.

432 You leave your bedroom and make your way, along the passages, to where you were taken when you first

arrived. You knock at the door of the study room, but there is no answer.You try the door, and find it open. Peering inside, you see that the bed here has not been slept in. There is no sight of Endrell.Will you:

134 A long, winding path leads down to the old lead mines. Stepping carefully over the debris of rock and leaves blown in from outside, you descend into the entrancecave. Rotted pit-props and the drip of water from above warn you that the place is hardly safe to walk in, but you must press onwards. Ahead of you, to your left, is a domed chamber with many rocks on the floor and a chink of daylight beaming down; the gllnt of metal is visible in the middle of the rock clutter. If you want to explore the domed chamber, tum to fiZ.If you want to go straight on past it, tum to zy5.

Go back to your room and go back

to sleep? Searchthis room? Try to find Marcusand talk to him, ,if you haven'tdone so already? Explorethe monasteryfurther?

Turn to 526 Turn to 186

Tum to 555 Turn to z5z

L35 Holding the Basilisk'shead as your prize, you take it to the waiting Shevala.She cackleswith glee, dumps the horrible relic in a cauldron, and sets about an enchantment.You remind her that she agreed to help you kill Carollar and take her treasure;bui the vile witch simply spits in your face and tells you to do

1

{l

435 The door here is locked. You don't want to rouse the entire monastery by smashingit down, so you try to :ick the lock with your knife. Testyour Skill.If you are

l: a36-a57

1.58

successful,you open the doo4 tum to gy.lf you fail, you can explore elsewhere in the east wing (tum to 265) or make for the west wing instead (tum to r.g7).

Your feet crunch ,l,lutgr"vel in the courtyard, "" betraying your presence. Howls rend the air not far ahead of you, and the forms of great wolves lope into sight through the mist. Their breath frosts in the cold air, and their eyes glow red with malice and hunger! If you have a werewo{f amulet, you know how many gems are set into it; tum to the paragraph with the same number. If you do not have this artefact, you will have to fight the wolves. Fight the wolf pack as if it were one opponent.

W O LF PACK

srrlr 8

ST AMIN A

11

If you win, you find yourself at the back door of the mansion house. Beside it is what appears to be a wood-chopping shed.If you want to explore the shed, tum to r88. If you prefer to open the back door, turn to zo7. 457 You must now explore somewhereyou haven't been before.Will you: Open the door at the end of the corridor? Explore the eastem side of the house? Leave and go on your way?

Tum to zo8 Turn to r95 Turn to 5oo

a38 As you ready yourself to attack the Count, a network of magical force winds itself tightly round him. Clearly he is drawing energy from the pictures of the Vampire Elders round the chamber. They must be magical, channelling the essenceof the Elders into him' Of course! Now it make sense to you. Heydrich is not summoning an arrny of Vampires, as you were told. Rather, he is drawing into himself all the undead energies of the sleeping Vampires here, to tum him into a super-Vampire,utterly indestructibleand impossible to resist. The Vampire is already staring at you through blood-red eyes, You must possess the red crystal heart from the witches if you are to destroy him. If you do not have this, you cannot overcome the vampire, and your adventure ends here. If you have this artefact, you know how many facets it has. Subtract ten from the number of its facets, then multiply this lower number by four to arrive at a final total' (For example, if the heart has 4o facets, you would tum to paragraph i-2oi 40 - zo is go; multiplying 5o by 4 gives rzo.) Tum to the paragraphwith the same number as this final total.

a59-140

The room on the otn", ,ll3"9of the door is in darkness, and you fumble to light your lantem in order to see beyond the thick satin drapeshanging behlnd the door. A sweet, rich perfume wafts from inside the room. You light your lantem and are just pushing through the curtains when they are drawn aside by eager female hands. You are greeted by two deathly pale young women, clad in ornate black gowns, their fingernails long and red-painted and their ruby-red lips parted to show long, canine teeth! Fresh blood drips from their lips, they have eaten recently - but they want your blood, too. You have blundered into the room containing the Count's enslavedVampyresl You can fight them one at a time in the doorway. S K ILL

FirstVAMPYRE SecondVAMPYRE

9 9

S TA MIN A 7-O

9

If either Vampyre has an Attack Strength of zr at any time, make a note of this paragraphnumber, theh turn at once to 95. If you win, turn to SSg. 740

As you approach the stables,a dark horse bolts from inside with a cloaked figure riding it; the horse gallops away like the wind. You race for your own horse, but two burly stablemenstand in your way. "Ere, we fed and watered 'im,' one of them says. 'Ate almost his own weight, he did, greedy devil.'You gazein dismay at a very smug, flat-bellied and probably slow horse. 'Cost yer a gold, that will.' If you have a Gold Piece

74a-742

145-744

and arepreparedto pay to get your horseback"tum to t7.If you haven'tany gold left or if you won't pay,you could attackthe stablemen;tum to 59 if you chooseto do this.If you prefernot to takeyour horse,tum to zo5. t4t-,

you retum to the passage outside. Find somewhere you have not investigated yet. Will you? Open the southem door? Explore elsewherein the east wing? Explore the west wing?

Turn to r5r Tum to 599 Tum to r,l4

You rummage through the papers lying about in Harquar'sstudy, looking for anything that may be of help. To your amazement, you find a letter in Henrik's handwritingand,tied up with it, somenotes.You don't have any time to reail them now, so you stuff them inside your shirt to read later. You have taken r5 sheetsof paper,so make a note of this number.You could also snaffleS Gold Piece'sfrom a deskdrawer if you want to. If you do this,you must TestyourLuck.lf you areLucky,tum to ry7.1f you areUnlucky,tum to zrz.If you don't wairt to takethe gold, turn to t57. 143 You swig the potion down. You feel as if you have just drunk a mixture of liquid pepper and chillies, and your inside is on fire! You feel gas rising into your mouth and an enorrnous gout of flame bursts forth. The Megaghoul is enveloped in flame - but even the magic of your potion doesn't kill it outright. It lumbers towards you, an undead fireball, its superheated iron claws reaching out for youl Tum to rzr.

You open a door to u ,"*1'nt's empty room. It smells of staleclothing and sweatand is dirty and unpleasant. You don't botherwastingyour time exploringhere,so

west side of the main You push open the doo, #th" entrance hall of Mortus Mansion. This part of the house is well guarded, as you are about to discover.

745

46-a48

The large and almost bare chamber you enter has a door opposite you in the west wall, and standing in front of it is a raggle-tagglepack of Ghouls. Roll one dice and add 3 to the number rolled. If the total is less than or equal to your FArrH score, some of these Ghouls will edge away as you approach and will flee the combat to come; you can deduct r frorn the srtrr and 5 from the sraurNr of the Ghoul pack you must fight. If the total is greater than your FArrH, you must fight the whole pack of Ghouls as a single opponent. GHOUL PACK

srrrr 8

ST AM IN A

12

If you are struck three times by Ghouls, tum at once to 84. If you win, you open the western door and go through it. Turn to t75.

and so on, then add the numbers together and add ftve to the new total. Tum to the paragraphwith the same number. If you don't know the name of that place,you cannot pursue the Vampire further and your adventureends here. 146 You rode swiftly indeed. You see a black coach being pushed into the stables outside the coaching inn. He must be herel Gain r Blood Point. Tum to r89. 147 You grunt and heave with all your might until the gates seem to be on the point of giving - then they suddenly fly open, and a gravel path lies in front of you. However, the stone Gargoyles on top of the gateposts are swooping down to attack you! You must fight them together. S K ILL

First GARGOYLE SecondGARGOYLE a45 Have you slain the second witch, Carollar? If you haven't, you must go to her cave and find her; turn to zy7.lf you have overcomeher, but you have not been to Count Heydrich's mansion house to the north-east, then you must go there now; tum to zr.g.lf you have done both these things, then you know the name of the place you must find next. Change the letters of that name to numbers using the code A = a, B = z

I 7

S TA MIN A

7 7

If you win, tum to zgg. r48 Exhausted,you reach the village of Farleigh at last. You are desperatefor sleep and food. If you have a merchant with you, he will pay for a room at the Goblin Hunter, the best inn in the place. If you have arrived alone, you will have to pay a Gold Piece to stay here. If you don't have any money, or if you

450

149 won't pay, you can sleep rough, but you must eat a meal. If you arrived on horseback,by now your mount is getting fatigued and restless and is in no fit shape for further travel; you can sell him here for 5 Gold Pieces.After resting,will you: Talk to the merchant whose life you saved? Buy some suppliesor equipment? Try to find out if there is a sage or scholar here who may be helpful to you? Continue on your way northeastwards? Make for another area, away from Farleigh?

Turn to z16 Turn to 285

Thom. However,evenas you gazeat them,the figures grow restless.They look like dreamerslost in a disturbing reverie, and their bodies toss and tum. A low groan escapesthe lips of one of the monsters.Clearly something is happening to them' perhaps they are being awoken even as you watch! You look around frantically for a way forward. At the end of the passagewayyou find anotherdoor, much heavierand thickerthan the rest. It is locked,and you will have to smashit downlTum to 16r.

Twn to 373 Turn to r98 Tum to 5o4

149 Pushing past the fallen Ghouls, you notice a door, opposite the stairs you arrived by, and force it open. Again, you find yourself striding along a passagewith wall-alcoveson either side. These are bigger than any you have seen before, and a wooden door is set flush into the back of each. Examining them more closely, you see that each door has a hardened crystal viewing lens set into it, and you soon discover that beyond each door is a room with a single coffin in it, shrouded in black. A magical red glow suffuses the rooms. The coffins are open, and each contains a sleeping figure. You scarcely need to be told that these are Vampires Vampire Elders,in fact, sleeping the sleep of ages here, banished to etemal slumber by the Knights of the

The letters include u ,t map of the cryptsl This "ttltl which descendswestshows that.there is a passage wards and then tums north. At the point where it tums north, there is a secretdoor on the west side. Furtheron, the passage winds to the west and endsat a door. There'salso a side-tumingto the north along thiswestempassage, endingat anotherdoor - and the symbol of a skull and crossbonestells you that it is not w-iseto enter here! Beyond the westem door the map is markedonly in large letters:'? LAIR!' You decideto enter the crypts and follow the passageto the point where the secretdoor should be. If your FArrH scoreis 8 or higher, tum to 48. If it is 7 or below, tum to 75.

a5t-r52,

a5a

It is getting dark as you approachthe brooding granite mass of Crab Peak.An extraordinary, isolated outcrop of rock with almost sheersides,the peak of the crag is broken into two distinct and claw-like formations which do indeed resemble the pincers of a crab. It strikes you that the land here is very barren, unlike Analand's normal fertile uplands;grass and vegetation are stunted and rank. Fragmented boulders, some of great size,are scatteredaround on the peak; it looks as if the wizards' duel shattered them and scattered them all over this desolateupland. By great good fortune, as you approach from the cover of these scatteredrocks you spot two crones in tattered black cloaks, standing arguing and screaming at each other in the distance. Between them is the stone statue of a third hag, and the two gesture at it and keep on screamingat each other. You think you can see the entranceto a cave in the craggy outcrop behind them. They are speaking in a strangetongue that you don't understand.Will you: Attack the crones? Go up and speak with the crones? Wait behind cover and wait to see what happens?

Tum to 267 Tulr. to 544 Turn to 245

452

You open the door to the tomb-chamberof Count Reiner Heydrich! The stone lid of the tomb itself openswith a grinding sound as you enter, and the Count clutchesat the edge of the tomb with longfingerednails, sitting upright even as you rush to

L55

T53-454

attack. With one bound, the black-cloaked figure leaps out to face you. If you have a red crystal heart, you know how many facets it has. Double that number and add zo to reach a final total. Tum to the paragraph with that total. Otherwise, roll two dice and add z. If the total is higher than your FAIrH score,tum to zog. If the total is lower than or equal to your FAIrH score, tum to 258.

The witch makes r;^U"'ri, the poisoned dagger in ^ her cloak, but it goes skittering away from her across the floor! Gain r rqcr point. However, she does have a long skewering knife to attack you with. If you do not have a magic sword, you cannot harm her, and you will die here.If you have a magic sword, fight ont

C AR OL L AR

SKIL L 1 0

ST AM IN A

10

If you wiry gain 1 FAIrH point! Exploring the cavem, you find a rock which can be rolled away to reveal an alcove beyond. Tum to zzo.

hold vour breath You climb into the *^rd::t"and then you curse yourself: you have forgotten to close Endrell's bedroom door! As he comes in, he is clearly suspicious.You are just wondering whether to step out of your hiding place and apologize when he raises a wooden staff circled with ten metal bands, which he is carryzing,spins around, and points directly at you he can see where you are! From the tip of the staff, glowing greenish-yellowdarts of magical Power streak

through the wardrobedoor, splinteringand smashing the wood, and hammerinto your chest.You feel as if some animal with razor-sharpclaws had gored you and you cry out in pain. Deduct 4 points from your srAMrNA.Now you will have to fight the furious monk. ENDRELT,

sK rLLg

S TA MIN A

11

If you win, you know you will have to explore the monastery quickly. Somethingmust be wrong heret this was no peaceablescholar- he fought like a crazy man.Will you now try to find Marcus,the other Elder monk (tum to Ss6),or exploreelsewherein the monastery (tum to z5z)? 155 The Codex gives you more information about Count

Reiner Heydrich than you had dared hope for. It tells you that he bought a mansion house in the plains to the east, and that he is using it as his lair for the time being. The Soul Gem was crafted by three witches living in the shadows of the Great Wall itsell and at the moment they possessit. Sewarth did not leam why they crafted this terrible thing, nor the nature of their deal with the Vampire. However, specificmention is made of a place called Crab Peak, and the witches live near by. The last few pages of the book are desperatelyominous. Sewarth's notes refer to an unknown place where Heydrich hopes to raise a veritable army of Vampires to serve him. You shudder at the thought; such a force would be impossible to resist the whole land would be overwhelmed. Sewarth's

T a5g

aS6-1,58

maps in the Codex pinpoint the mansion house and show roughly where the witches are to be found. If you want to set off for the mansion house, turn to z7g.lf you prefer to make for the witches, tum to 57.

is a lethal enemy, one of Heydrich's feared Skeletal Stranglers. You have got yourself into desperate trouble here.

a56 You force the door at last, the frame giving way as the wood splinters and cracks.The room behind the door is shrouded in black and red silk clothes, and a familiar sight greetsyou in the middle of the otherwise bare room: one of the Count's coffins! Unfortunately, one of the Count's Vampyre maidens is also here, protecting the resting-place of her master. Roll two dice. If the total rolled is less than your FAIrH score, tum to zzg. lf the total is equal to or greater than your FAITH,turn to z5r.

In each of the first three Attack Rounds, the undead thing will snatchup a filled glass vesselfrom the table and try to smash it against your body. If it has the higher Attack Strength,it is successfuland you will have to lose 4 srAMrNA points through being doused in corrosive acid. If you have the higher Attack Strength, you manageto deflect the improvised weapon before it candamageyou. After threeAttack Rounds,the creature will grab your throat and begin to strangleyou and you must lose 1 srAMrNA point automatically, each and every Attack Round,until you manageto slay the thing. You must still work out Attack Strengths as normal. If you have the higher Attack Strength,you can strike and damagethe monster.If it hasthe higher Attack Strength, your blow is parried.If you win, tum to z96.

THE GLASSBLOWER

apparently standing The Watch arrives to niitror', guard over the place. They take your statement which they find hard to believe, but at least there is a large puddle of slime as evidence.Clearly they regard you as an outsider who has brought trouble to the village, and they want you out. You have to set off to the north-east (tum to r98) or perhapsmake for some other area(tum to 5o4).

SKILL9

sTAMINA10

You are about to ,i.,t i*tlgrteep when you hear the floorboards creak outside your room. You grab your sword and manage to pull on your leather armour just before the door is smashedopen by a pair of burly, dark-hairedmen, armed with clubs.You back up into a comer of the room to fight them one at a time.

158 As soon as you enter, the figure turns towards you and you are not surprised when only a skull with glowing red eye-socketspresentsitself to you as the cowl of its cloak turns towards vou. The Glassblower

S K ILL

FirstRUFFIAN Second RUFFIAN

tu

7 7

S TA MIN A

7 7

r6et6z

a6J

After you have slain your first enemy,if you reduce the second ruffian's sTAMINAto 3 points or less without killing him outright, tum to z4o.lf you kill him, tum to Sg3. t6o

The militia arrest you for the murder of old Henrik after all, you have his gold in your pocket, and everyone saw you talking to him last night: obviously you planned to kill him for his gold and sneak off at dawn! Your adventure ends here. t6r Time is very precious and you are very close to the Count now! To knock down the door, you must Tesf yowr Skill, adding z to the total rolled. If you succeed, turn to 257. lf you fail, lose r Blood Point, then try again. You have to go on trying until you succeed, losing r Blood Point for every failure.

16z

There must be still quite some way to go to Heydrich's mansion house, if Henrik's sketch map is anything like accurate.After a long day's joumeying, you must now eat another meal.You decide to put in another hour or so of travel before the last day of the daylight fadesand you notice that the road ahead of you is growing

very misty and foggy. Strangely enough, the woodland to either side of the road does not appear to be covered by the thick mist at all. You don't like the look of this. Will you: Continue ahead through the mist? Go to your right through the woods? Go to your left through the woods?

Tum to zz5 Tum to z7z Tum to 5o8

a65 You destroy the Count's most treasuredand important resting-place!You gain ro Blood Points, but now you must also Test your Skill. lf you are successful,you suffer no ill-effects. If you fail, you are splashed by some of the Vampire essencesinfusing the coffin. This will weaken you subtly when you have to fight a Vampyre or Vampire. If such a monster attempts to hypnotize you, you must add z to any total you are told to roll on the dice, so make a note of this now on your AdoentureSheet!You leave the chamber and head along the passagetowards the two doors, one halfway down on your left, and the other at the far end on your right. If you want io open the first of these doors, tum to jgj. lf you want to open the other one, tum to rr.

164-t66

1.64 The side-passageends at a black wooden door with silver banding, but between you and the door are several wall-alcoves housing Ghoullike figures. You cannot see them distinctly becausethey are shrouded in opaque cocoons,like grisly undead insects,waiting to spring out and strike you down should you enter this passage.If you have found a lantem with coloured lenses,you know it shows images just like these. If you light it here, it will keep the undead in abeyance. If you have the lantern, you know what colour light it casts. Convert that colour to a number by changing the letters of the colour to numbers using the code A = a, B = z, C = j and so on. Add the numbers together to get a total then turn to the paragraphwith the samenumber. Otherwise, all you can do is prepare to attack these creatures(tum to zo) or think better of it and go back to the main passage,heading further into the Ghoulcrypts (tum to zoz). a65 The mist-cloud has entered the darknessof the righthand archway. Will you follow it (turn to zxy) or enter the left-hand archway (turn to 284) or perform some other action (tum to r9z)? t66 You knock loudly on the front door, and soon a greyhaired,tall man in a rich brown-and-yellow robe opens the door to you. He hardly needs to ask why you are here, but ushers you into his study. There is nothing particularly unusual about the place; the furniture is

a67

comfortable,though. When he pours two glassesof wine, you take the glassnearerhim, just in case!He does not tell you his name but waits to hear your story. If you haveBloodbane,tum to 98. If you want to ask about his magicalor healing skills generally, tum to 268.

a6y A quick searchrevealsthat the metal is only the rusted iron of miners' picks and spades,uselessto you. You were unwise to stand under this unstable sinkhole and a rockfall tumbles down on you! Testyour Skill.If you are successful,you manage to get your shield above your head in time to avoid all but glancing blows. Deduct r point from your srAMrNA but gain 1 LUCK point. If you fail, heavy rocks and stones crash down on top of you and you must lose 4 srAMrNA points. Turn to 275.

t68-r.69 t68 As you are looking for some rope to tie her up with, you see Shevala'shand suddenly disappearinside her stinking robe, then draw out a vial. You grab her hand just in time and snatch the Potion of Staminaaway as she is about to drink it! Gain r rucr point. You can drink this potion at any time (except iuring combat) and it will restore srAMrNA points equal to half your Initial totaI, rounding fractions up. You tie up the witch and gag her for good measure.You also take some keys from het you guess that these must unlock the door you passedin the passage.If you want to go and open that door now, tum to z5g.lf you want to go through the archway, despite the magical barrier on it, turn to z64.lf you want to retum to the surface, turn to 45. If you want to explore the passage outside this cavern to its very end, not having done so before,turn to zo6.

1.6g

You know where to go: to the Ghoulcrypts. But do you know where they are? If you do, then you also know how many Knights of the Thom are buried there. Multiply that number by four, then subtract one, to get a final total. Tum to the paragraph with the samenumber. If you don't know where the Ghoulcrypts are, turn to 587.

472,-L75

a7ea7L 472

170

The red gems set in the Strangler's eye-socketsrise from the iollapsing pile of bones and whirr angrily in mid-air. You have time to perform one swift action here: you cannot eat a meal,but you may drink liqueur or a Potion of sravtNe, if you have these'Then the gems fly at you and try to burrow their superheated substanceinto your (lesht Test your Skill twice. Each time you fail, one of the gems strikes you and you must lose 4 sTAMINApoints from the buming inflicted on you! If you are still alive, you can now take the lantern (turn to 286) or head for the mansion house (turn to 46).

You need a skeletont", lJtop"r, the complex lock on this door. If you have one, you will know how many notches are marked on it. Multiply this number by seven, then turn to the paragraph with the same number. If you don't have this key, you can make another choice.Will you open the tomb room of,

The first Knight? The third Knight? The fourth Knight? the fifth Knight?

Turn to Turn to Turn to Turn to

u5 zz4 z9z 5r4

You stand, shaking,over the body of the ghastly fiend you have just destroyed. Passingthrough the remaining rooms, you find one young monk who hasn't fled or been killed; he is almost paralysed with shock, his face pale and sweating. He managesto gesture to the north but can say nothing. He must mean that the beast came from that direction, so you rush back into the main corridor. There are two northern doors there, one to your left and the other to your right. Will you now open the left-hand one (turn to 256) or the righthand one (tum to zz5)?

The Doktor's bedroom i{t^ Ounu and disorg anized shambles.Plates of half-eaten food and piles of dirty clothes lie around everywhere. However, you do find some bread and cheesewhich doesn't seem to have been gnawed (add z to your Provisions), : Gold Pieces,a pair of brassflasksand a silver one. The silver flask is labelled 'Blackfire' and has the number r5o etched on it (make a note of this). One brass flask is

t75-t76

ry4 labelled, 'Doktor Verruckte's Most Excellent Patent Skill Restorative' and the other simply 'Essence'. Neither is tightly sealed,and if you want to use them, you must drink them now. If you want to drink the Skill Restorative,tum to z4t.lf you prefer to drink the contents of the other flask, tum to jgs.lf you would rather not drink either, you retum to the passage outside this room to searchelsewhere;turn to 7.

474 The door to your room is smashed down and two burly, dark-haired thugs rush into the room! You manage to grab your sword at the same time as a heavy club strikes you in the ribs; deduct z points from your srAMrNA. Becauseyou do not have your armour on, you must subtract r from your Attack Strength when fighting both thesevillains together. SKIL L

FirstRUFFIAN SecondRUFFIAN

7 7

ST AMIN A

7 7

After you have slain one enemy,if you reducethe oLher ruffian to 5 srevrue points or lesswithout killing him outright, turn to z4o.lf you kill him, tum to SSt.

175 You are standing in a short section of the passage, which soon turns to the south. There is a door on the north side of this passage before the tuming. If you

want to open the door to the north, tum to zy4. lf you want to makefor the southpassage, tum to 7.lf you want to retum to the entrancehall,turn to z7t.

a76 You drink the potion and at once your head feels as if it is on fire - and so does your stomach!You gasp for air then suddenly belch up a huge gout of flame which racesacrossthe chasm.This is not at all what Heydrich was expecting. He is caught by the edge of the fiery cloud, for your attack was not perfectly aimed, but he loses 4 srAMrNA points (make a note to adjust this when you get to him). He is dazed and slow, and you race across the rock bridge to attack him with your swordl Turn to r58.

ryr479 L77

The Basiliskis upon you! The lizard's length is twice your height, and it has powerful clawed forefeet and vicious fangs. If you have a Silver Mirror, you can look away from the Basilisk and fight looking at its reflection. You must subtract z from your Attack Strength,but in every Attack Round you may roll one dice. If you roll r or 6, the Basilisk stares into the mirror and is turned to stone! If you do not have a Silver Mirror, you must fight looking away from the Basiliskto avoid its deadly, petrifying gaze, and hack wildly and hope; subtractz ftom your Attack Strength. The only good point is that, while this creature is much larger and tougher than most of its kind, it does not breathepoison as so many do. HUGE BASILISK

srrrr 8

S K ILL 10

If you win, gain 1 LUCKpoint - few people fight such monsters and survive! You cut off the head of the brute and ascendonce more to the surface.Tum to r55.

a78 Your vial of acid destroyshalf the Skeletons, though you will have to fight the rest. Tum to ro4, and subtract5 from the sravrNe of the SkeletonHordein that paragraph. a7g The corpse suddenly begins to strain and heaves on the table, then it expels a cloud of stinking gas all over you as you finish checking the contents of the tray. Roll four dice and add z to the total rolled. If the new

t8z-t85

18o-1Ea

total exceedsyour current sTAMINA score, you now have Lung Rot from breathing the toxic gas. This diseasewill severely weaken you if you have to enter wet, misty or foggy areas,and you should try to find a cure for it as quickly as possible! Now, you should explore somewhere you haven't been before. Will you: Open the door at the end of the Turn to zo8 corridor? Explore the eastem side of the house? Tum to r95 Tum to 5oo Leave and be on your way? 18o The stone is cold, smooth and massive.What are you going to do with it? If you want to pour some Oil of Disenchantment on it, you know the number inscribed on the vial; turn to the paragraph with that number. If you want to try breaking a heart-shaped gem on it, you know how many facets the gem ha5. Halve that number, then tum to the paragraph with the same number. Otherwise, all you can try to do is to strike the stone with a magic sword, if you have one. If you want to try this, tum to 542. If you donlt have a magic sword, you guess that you cannot affect this stone, and if you have neither a heart-shaped gem nor the magical oil, you cannot achieve anything here; you will have to backtrack to the left-hand passage(tum to g65) or retum to the surface(tum to r+S). 18r You find yourself in a room containing many ledgers, scrolls and documents, scattered all over the place.

After a swift examination,you find someledgers of books bought and borrowed from the library of the monastery. Looking at some recent entries, you find that both Sewarth and Endrell have been borrowing books on Mortvania and the undead, a fact which intrigues you. You also tum up z Gold Piecesin a pouch tucked into a desk drawer. Regain 1 LUCKpoint. You guess that the library is probably next door, so it shouldbe the northem door; if you want to go there,tup to 5y5.lf youwant to searchelsewherein the east wing, tum to 265.lf you prefer to head forthe west wing of the monastery, turn to 497. t8z You are standing at the end of the east passage, looking south. There is a door on your left and another one, facing you, at the end of the south passage.You should explore somewhere you haven't been before.Will vou:

Op"{r the door to your left? Open the door facing you?

Tum to 568 Tum to r5r

Explore somewhereelse in the east wing? Leave and explore the west wing?

Turn to 599 Turn to r41

a85 The bites of the Werewolf have inflicted Lycanthropy on you and in due course you will become a Werewolf yourself! You must get a cure for this. You remember dimly that belladonna can cure this affliction. You could searchin the forest for this plant if you want to

r85-rE6

a84

(tum to zg5) or you could head back to the main trail and hope to find help in the next village you come to (tum to r+8). However, before you do either, you notice that the Werewolf has a golden amulet round its neck. Inspectingit, you see that it is set with 5o small bloodstones.If you want to take this,makea note of the numberof gems,

a84 Behindthe locked door is a room containingfragile glassjars that have been craftedin a very elegantbut disturbingmanner.Eachjar hasa thick glassbulb at its base,resting on a claw-shapedmetal support;tapering above it is a long, curved, fluted neck. Each jar is stopperedwith a cork, bound by a metal claspand a red wax seal.There must be severaldozen of these large vessels standing around against the wall of the otherwise bare room. Most are empty, but a few contain traces of grey ash or dust inside the bulb. Five of them containa blue-greymist in addition to the fine layer of dust, and sparks like tiny balls of lightning flicker in the mist. A palpablesense of evil lingers in this room and the hairs on the nape of your neck rise in alarm.You can leave here and explore elsewhere(tum to y) or you can smash one of the containersto seewhat happens(tum to z4).

1E5

The walls are high and are topped by spearpoints. Testyour Skill;if you do not have any rope with you, you must add z to the number rolled. If you are you manageto clamberover the wall; tum successful, to zgg.lf you fail, you get most of the way up the wall then you fall backoff it; lose 2 sTAMINApoints. You can continue Testingyour Skill in this way until you succeed, but if you get bored with this approach you can try to force the main gates (tum to r4y) or Iookfor anotherway in (tum to zr5).

t86

There isn't much here for you to look through, but undemeathEndrell'sbed you find a locked wooden chest.If you want to pry it open with your knife, tum to z9o. Otherwise,you leavethis room.Will you now: Return to your room and go back to sleep? Look for Marcus,if you haven't spokento him yet? Explorethe monasteryfurther?

Tum to 526 Tum to 556 Tum to z5z

t89-r9o

t87-tBE

a8g You unsaddle your horse and request that he be fed and watered, then you enter the coachinginn. You ask the landlord if a man wearing a black coat has just arrived and taken rooms. He looks at you quizzically then says in a dull voice, 'Ain't no one come yer this moming'.' When you ask again, he repeats the same Iine. Testyour Spot Skill.lf you are successful,turn to 4o.If you fail,will you now:

a87 You descend some steps leading westwards into the crypts. The passage turns north and, as you step along it, you are ambushed from behind! A secret door behind you has opened, and a pair of Ghouls leap out. Claws rake your back; deduct z points from your sTAMINA. You have to fight the Ghouls together. SKIL L

FirstGHOUL Second GHOUL

I 8

ST AMIN A

Book into the inn? Look for somewhereelse to stav and sleep? Leave,but keep watch over the inn from a distance?

7 7

If you are struck four times by the Ghouls, turn at once to 84. If you win, tum to zt5.

r.88 You ftnd a stake and a mallet in the woodshed, which you can take if you don't already have some. Among the clutter, you also find some rope and a rather disgustingJooking meat pie; you can scraPethe mould off the pie and eat it if you are desperatefor food. It counts as one meal, but when you eat you must roll four dice. If your roll is less than your Current sTAMINA,you regain sTAMINApoints as normal for eating a meal (and you will also regain r rucr point for not getting food poisoning!).If the total is equal to or greater than your Current sTAMINA,you will suffer food poisoning and must deduct z points from your sTAMINA instead. Now you make for the back door. Tum to zo7.

Tum to 289 Tum to 545 Tum to 594

490

The Corpse Golem is a very dangerous opponent indeed. If it has an Attack Strength of zo or more, it will strike you even if you have the higher Attack Strength (in such a caseyou both strike each other). If it ever has an Attack Strength of zz, it hits you a massiveblow and you must lose 4 points from your STAMINA!

CO RP S EG O L E M If you win, tum to z6z.

&

S K ILL 10

STAM TN A 1 4

r9a-7-92

As you haul yourselfth..l?; the window of Harquar's bedroom,the first thing you seeis the fat man lying, motionless,on his bed. The tendrilled,jellyJike thing has spreadits slimy tentaclesover his face and they are suffocatinghim. Harquarinitially had 9 sTAMINA points,but he will havelost one every time you failed when Testingyour Skill during your climb.You must destroythe VampiricJellybeforeit destroysHarquar. V A MP I RI C I E L L Y

sKrLL 7

sreurNe 8

Work out Attack Strengths for yourself and the monsteras usual.Wheneverit wins an Attack Round, it does not harm you, but you fail to get in an effectiveblow with your sword.Every Attack Round, whetheryou have the higher Attack Strengthor not, Harquarloses r sTAMINApoint. I[ you defeat the thing before Harquar'ssTAMINAis reducedto zero, tum to z54.If you do not, tum to 3gz.

ag2 You can perform as many actions as you like before entering one of the archways.Eating a meal (you can force down only one now) takes two actions, but anything else (drinking a potion or some herbal liqueur or using a magical item, say) takes one action each. Make a note of the number of actions you take. Now you have to enter one archway or the other. Will it be the right-hand archway (tum to zr7) or the left-hand one (tum to 284)?

tg6-19E

495-495 493

You rummage through a small bedroom and then wander on into the kitchen. You can take food from here (add 4 to your Provisions) and you must Tesf your Luck.lf you are Lucky, you find a pouch with 5 Gold Piecesin a desk drawer, but if you are Unlucky you find nothing. You can now explore the west side of the house if you haven't already done so (tum to 258) or you can leave the house (turn to 5oo). 7-94 your do not go unobserved. exertions Unfortunately, Behind you, one of the Count's lurking undead guards comes racing to attack you. The grey flesh and rotting stench of the thing, let alone the gnawed bone it was feasting on, tells you that it is a Ghoul - but no ordinary one. This brute is far stronger and more dangerousthan most of its kind.

HU G E GHO U L

srrrr 8

ST AM INA

11

If the Ghoul managesto strikeyou three times,tum at onceto 84. If you win, tum to 235. 495

The younger of the hags whispersconspiratoriallyto you: 'shevalathinks I causedher sisterto be tumed to stone.It isn't true,but she'sgoing to kill me. Help me slay her now, and you can have all the treasureshe has in her cavel'If you agreeto this, tum to zgr-.lf you refuse,thenyou cango backto Shevalaand agree to her plan (tum to 4) or try someother strategY(tum to yz).

Your boots are really a"lilt""a for hill climbing,but they do provide some extra grip here. You fasten the rope round the biggest rock you can find, then lower yourself down the abyss,keeping as far away from the weight of the water as you can. Your boots crunch on the wet rock, and you are almost at the end of your rope when you find yourself standing on a rock ledge. Turn to 3t7. 497 As you head west past your own bedroom, the doors to the dining hall are to your right and the main doors to your left. Beyond them, there is another door to your left; gently opening it, you find a silent, empty bedroom. Further along there are three doors, two to the north and one to the south. Will you open the first door to the north (turn to zz5), the second door to the north (tum to 256) or the door to the south (turn to 38r)? ag8 More wearying days of travel lie ahead of you. You can cadge food along the way, but you must supplement the hospitality of local people with your own food. You must eat four meals, but you can also buy food to replenish your backpack (r Gold Piece buys enough for z meals here). Finally you arrive at the outskirts of the village of Fendringham.Mortus Mansion is only an hour's walk from here, but it is now late afternoon. If you want to stay at a tavem overnight, this will cost you 1 Gold Piece: if you have

499-2oo

204-202

money and are preparedto pay, tum to 6y. lf you want to presson towardsthe mansiontum to 49.

Mortus Mansion to get your bearingsand find somewhereelseto search(tum to z7r).

It takesyou two Attack i3ilr, to get near him, and the old man is a lot swifter and nimbler than he looks. Two metal spheresproject from the sideof the lectem at which he is perched and they fire a stream of barbedbronzebolts at you. Roll two dice;the total is the numberof srevrNe pointsyou must losethrough being spearedby this' endlessvolley of bolts. You wonder now whether your strategy was a good one. You can run away if you wish. If you do, you will be hit by more bolts (roll one dice and lose that many sTAMINApoints).If you survive,tum to 7 to explore elsewhere.If you want to continuefighting him, tum to 278.

You strike at the ota". .r'o1""with your sword. If you do not have a magic sword, you cannotharm her and shewill destroyyou. Otherwise,fight on!

The Count staresat uo,r1l"r"u, and rushespast you, through the open door and away to the north. His passageis so swift that you can hardly keepup with him. He reaches the glowing archway and races straight into it. The surfaceof the blue magicalbarrier ripples,as if someonehad dropped a stone into a pond, after he haspassedthrough it. Sparksof magical fire roar round the edgesof the barrier.You have a split secondto decide;if you want to follow him, jump through NOW! Tum to 559. Otherwise,you back away. You can open the other door to the south, if you haven't done so already(tum to 97),or you can leave the crypts and return to the entrancehall of

SHEVALA

sK rLL9

S TA MIN A

11

In the first two Attack Rounds,Shevalawill attackby usingspells,shefiressmallbolts of lightninginto your body. If shehas the higher Attack Strength,you must lose 4 srAMrNApoints from her attack.If you have the higher Attack Strength,you will strike her and her spell will be ruined. From the third Attack Round onwards,she fights with a poisoneddagger.If she shikesyou, roll one dice. If you roll 4 or higher, you of the venomon mustlose3 sTAMINApointsbecause her blade.If you win, you can take3 Gold Piecesfrom the witch's body. You decideto confront the other witch;tumto 277. 202

A few pacesin front of you is a plain wooden door, wherethe passagebendsround to the right. You peer frrther along the passageand can seetwo more doors, one to your left, half-way down the passage,and one to your right at the very end. The first of thesedoors is also plain, while the third one - at the end of the passage- has a shield designon it showing a broken thom dripping blood against a white background. Which door will you open?

205

2o5-2o4

The door in front of you? The door half-way down the passage? The door with the shield design at the end of the passage?

Turn to z8 Turn to 593 Tum to rr

You follow the road t"uairl"j"urtwards away from the Iakeside settlement. You spend a long time walking: you must eat two meals and you lose z Blood Points. If you have Bloodbane,you must deduct r point from both your Initial and Current sTAMINA scores. You stop at a coaching inn and ask after the black coach. People talk to you with strange, glazed expressions and they deny they have seen anything of the sort. Something in their manner makes you suspicious,and when they deny with particular vehemence that the coach continued eastwards you are sure you are on the right track after alll Turn to zyg. 20.4 The Cave Wisp is a very difficult opponent. It attacks you by firing sprays of sparks and, while you only need two strikes to destrov it, it is extremelv hard to hit!

CAVE WISP

SKIL L 1 1

STAM I N A 4

If you win, you pressaheadand come to the waterfall at the end of the cavem. Water tumbles down from a stream or lake far above and pours down over rock ledges and down a jagged chasm whlch clearly descends some way. As far as you can see, this is the

only route down to the realms below the mines, so you must descend here. The rocks are very slippery and ordinary climbing will be very difficult. If you have some climbing boots and rope, turn to t'96. If you have a mystery potion, it may help you here - it might even make you fly (and drift down safely). If you want to use it here,you know how many scratches there are on the glass vial. Multlply that number by sevenand turn to the paragraphwith the samenumber. If you decide just to dive in and hope for the best, tum to 265. 205

'l feel I should give them to Sewarth in person,' you say. 'They must be important if the man carrying them was killed becauseof them.' Endrell raises his eyebrows but makes no objection. 'Very well, then, you must wait unLil Sewarth returns,' he says grudgingly. 'We can offer you such hospitality as we possess.'You are shown to a plain bedroom with a hard pallet bed and a couple of blankets which seem to have been woven from the roughest wool in all Titan. After some bread, a bowl of thin soup and a mug of water, you pull the blankets over you and settle down to sleep.Tum to 74.

206-2o7

2o6 Though the creatureyou pursued into these depths is a witch, the cavern you now enter looks more li\e- -the domain of a necromancer.The bodies of twentti"perhaps more, small and stunted, Dwarf-like creatures ' are entombed here in various stages of decay. Some are little more than piles of bones,but others still have \-a rotting flesh clinging to their skeletons.They are all standing or lying in stone coffins, which are strewn round the chamber as if thrown haphazardly by the hand of some unimaginably large giant; but in the very middle of the cavern stands a mottled brown monolith, a smooth stone with veins of yellow and rust. Your hair standson end; the stone is giving off a sensationof evil, decay and wrongness that you can feel. What will you do? If you do not want to enter here, you can backtrack to the left-hand branch, if you haven't explored it before (turn to 565), or make for the surface (turn to r45). lf you decide to enter, will you examine the tombs (turn to 4z) or the stone (tum to r8o)? 207

You push open the back door and find yourselfin a long, narrow hallway. You have entered from the north. and there are doors to the east,the west and the south.The southerndoor must be the front door, so thereis little point in openingthat. Will you oPen the eastdoor (turn to S+d or the west door (tum to 44)t

2,o8

209-27-7-

208

The Count clearly doesn't spend all his time sleeping in coffins, you discover, as you force the lock on a bedroom door. The sumptuoussilks and cottons of his bedcovers are valuable but far too heavy to carry. However, you can take the gold tasselson the fourposter bed and sell them for 5 Gold Piecesin a market! Also there is a flask of the Count's favourite herbal brandy here. This is a fine restorative - you can drink it at any time (except during a combat) and it will restore 4 lost sr.avrNA points. Gain r rucr point. However, there are no clues to the Vampire's whereabouts, and the bed certainly does not seem to have been slept in for some time. You should now explore somewhereyou haven't been before.Will you: Open the door in the corridor leading westwards? Tum to 55 Explore the eastem side of the house? Turn to r95 Leave and head on your way? Tum to 5oo

TheCount'sbloodshot .il'ra*

with infernalpowerl

His hypnoticpowersareaffectingyour mind.You are slowed, weakened;you must subtract r from your AttackStrengthwhenfightinghim. Turn to 258.

2LO

You open the door to a smelly servant'sroom. Unfortunately the smelly - and powerfully built - servant is in it. His leather armour is well padded and his sword looks extremely sharp. Igor growls angrily at your intrusion and attacksat once!

IGOR

sK rLL9

STAM IN A 1 4

If Igor has an Attack Strength of zo or better when he wins an Attack Round, you must lose 3 srAMrNA points as a result of his blow - he is extremely strong. If you win, tum to 78.

Roll two dice and th:t"t rolled. If the total "dd your -bers rs less than or equal to FArrH score,turn to 5tz. If the total is greater than your FArrH score, turn to T55.

212-274

zt5-z16

as he slams the coach door. Lose 1 LUcK point, but gain r FAIrH point for your bravery! Tum to 37r..

When they arrive,you ll" r"ur.n"d by the Watch, who discover the gold. They aren't interested in the papers, but they throw you in jail for a week - and they take every last Gold Pieceyou have as a ftne for burglaryl Lose ro Blood Points.If you have Bloodbane, you will die during this imprisonment from the effects of the diseaseand your adventure ends here. If you are still alive, you are ridden out of town along the north-eastemroad. Tum to r98.

The chamber of the cfr.'rlJi, devoid of anything of interest or value. You continue northwards along the passageuntil it turns to the west again. In the distance it ends at a door, and there is a northem side-turning to another door. If you want to open the door to the north, tum to 288. lf you want to open the door to the west, turn to 547.

on the east side of the'rti,to,"r, you come upon a hole in the wall. It is ragged and uneven, and through the hole you can see the grey stone of the mansion house itself. You squat down and wriggle through the hole. Unfortunately it is a trap, deliberately placed here to snare the unwary. When you are almost through, a guillotineJike blade drops from the far side of the wall above the hole. Your adventureends here!

Bravely - but foolishly :T""race to the coach and strike out at the figure through the door of the coach as he closesin. You strike him, but without a magical weapon you cannot harm him. He grabs hold of the blade in his hands without even cutting himself, and brings it down, pommel first, in a mighty blow on your skull. Deduct 5 points from your sr.lurNe. You are too stunned and concussedeven to get a good look at him, but you remember his mocking laughter

zt6 What is the merchant'sname?If you know it, convert the letters of his name into numbers using the code A= LB = z,C= 3...2z6.Add togetherthe numberscorrespondingto the letters in his name, then double the total. Turn to the paragraph with this number. If you don't know his name, return to r48 and make another choice.

,,ib

F

247-220

220

247

Alas! The cunning Count only appearedto enter the darknesshere. He was actually teleported elsewhereand you have walked into an utterly destructive magical trap in the darkness.Your body is tumed to a pile of fine ash. You were so close to glory, but your adventurehas to end herel zt8 Though several telescopeshave been mounted here, the dome itself has been fashioned as an observatory, for as you stare through the glass you can see the stars of the night sky clearly magnified. Marvelling at this, you notice a dark, distinctly bat-like shape glide down from the east and swoop close to the ground by the west wing of the monastery. As it descendsinto darkness,you cannot make out exactly where it went. If you want to go to the west wing of the monastery in order to follow its progress, tum to tgy. If you want to searchthe library, nol having done so before, tum to z9t. If you want to search elsewhere in the eastwing, turn to 265. 249

If you have Latent Vampirism or Lycanthropy, tum to z5g. lf you have neither of these afflictions, tum to agg. 220

You have enteredthe witch's bedchamber.Lice-infested and rotting hay is spread around in what looks more like a nest than a bed. But vou also find treasure:

jewellery and trinkets worth r5 Gold Pieces.And you find a black wooden casket,inscribed with runes and symbols and clasped with fastenings of gold. Half afraid,you open it. Inside,nestling in a bed of fine red silk, is a heart-shapedgem within which a baleful fire seemsto bum and pulse like the rhythm of a heartbeat. The crystal is very intricate; it has 9o facets (make a note of this). If you want to destroy this wretched thing, you soon find out that nothing seemsto harm it; trying to smashit is useless.You will have to find out how to destroy it somehow. But, for now, you know that this thing is associatedwith the Vampire you seek. Gain 5 Blood Points! You also know that you must leave swiftly. If you want to make for the mansion house, not having been there before, tum to r98. If there is any other place you would like to visit, you know the name of that place. Change the Iettersof its name into numbers,using the code A = i,, B = z and so on. Add together the numbers corresponding to the letters to arrive at a total, add five to Lhat new number, and tum to the paragraph vriith fhe iarhe number. If you do not know the name of this place,and you have already been to the mansion,then .vou are lost! You will not be able to find Heydrich before his terrible plan comes to fruition. Your advenrure ends in failure.

22A -222

the doorway with ,{ skeletal hand reach"r"rlt"O amazing speed and unerring accuracy and grips your throat with steely-hardclaws. As you struggle to free yourself, the glow in the eyes of this black-cloaked skeletongrows brighter and brighter! This horror with glowing red eye-socketsis unlike anything you have rnet before. Every Attack Round it stranglesyou and you must lose z sTAMINApoints automatically.However, you must work out Attack Strengths as normal. If you have the higher Attack Strength, you can damage the Skeletal Strangler. If you have the lower Attack Strength,your blow is ineffective. SKELETAL STRANGLER

sxtrt-8

STAMINAT

If you win, tum at once to tyo.

are still echoing in The howls of the D"*on"iound your ears as you slam the door shut behind you, your heart thumping wildly in your chest.Then the monster stops and all is quiet for a brief moment, until you hear the sound of rapid footsteps coming along the passage.The sound of a great weight, or of a bolt being rammed home, can be heard, as can the laughter of one of the Count's servants. Trying to force the door open, you cannot. You are sealedin the Ghoulcrypts now, and you do not have the mighty sword which would have given you a chance of victory against Heydrich. If you do not have a magic sword, your quest is hopeless,for now you cannot find one, and without one the Count cannot be harmed - your

223-22 O

227

adventure ends here. Even with a magic sword your chancesare slim indeed - but there is no turning backl Turn to 7r.

eat a meal, and if you have Lung Rot you will lose z srAMrNA points for staying out on such a wet, foggy night.

225 As you inch forward, the mist grows thicker and yellower. The air is clammy and almost stifling. If you have Lung Rot, you lose 4 sTAMINA points through breathing this polluted air. If your FAIrH score is 7 or higher, turn to 59. If your FAIrH scoreis 6 or less,tum to r48.

In the morning, you ask about the location of Crab Peak.The local people, looking very unhappy, tell you that the place is cursed and evil. Long ago in the past, two mighty wizards fought a duel to the death there; the curses uttered with their dying breaths as they slew each other turned the place into one of magic, evil and treachery.No one goes there now, not even ihe patrols which normally guard the southem border of the Great Wall to protect the local people from Lendlelandprowlers. However, they tell you that it is a day's hard walk to the north-east.Before you set off, you can if you like buy some Provisions; r Gold Piece will buy you enough for 3 meals.Turn to r5r..

This tomb room is o'rT save for the fine stone " tomb of the long-dead knight within it. You gain nothing by your choice.The knight's ghost ushersyou out of the tomb, and you make for the door half-way along the passage beyond the tombs, and open it. Turn to 595. 225 You force your way through the door and find yourself in the kitchens.There is an open trapdoor in the floor here, and the stench of decay drifts upwards from below. You light your lantem and set off down the stone steps towards the corridor you can see below you. If you have slain a monk in the monastery, tum to ro5. If you have not done so, tum to 293.

227 What are you going to say? Will you ask about:

Getting help for your afflictions,if you have any? The Count and his whereabouts? The man's experiments?

zz6 You must pay r Gold Piecefor food and board. If you can't (or won't) pay, you must sleep rough. You must

^

Turn to 552 Turn to 58 Turn to z4

228-230

254-232

228 You are cured of Bloodbane. You may restore your Initial (but not your Current!) sTAMINA to its original value.Regain1 LUcKpoint, and turn to 268. 229 The Vampyre retreats away from you fearfully! She must be one of the Count's more cowardly servants. You now have a choice: you can simply retreat from here if you do not wish to fight her, closing the door and heading back to the main passage;tum to zoz.If you choose to attack her - and you cannot reach the coffin without doing so - you can get in an early strike so that she loses z sTAMINApoints. Then you will have to fight; tum to z5r.

normally. You wonder The landlord isn't ,o"J:; whether the Vampire has affected his mind - they have the power to hypnotize people, after allt Will you now: Book into the inn? Look for somewhereelse to stav and sleep? Leave but keep watch over the inn from a distance?

Turn to 289 Turn to 523 Tulr, to 594

234 The Count has prepared a protection against Blackfire; he knows its magical secrets and has used magic to conjure a protective barrier against your attack. The flamesflicker harmlesslyround him. His perfectly white teeth are bared, first in a feral snarl, then in a grin of triumph. He hurls a volley of magical darts at you; they streak acrossthe chasm and burn their way into your flesh.Deduct J points from your. sravrNe. The pain jolts you into action and you rush at him; turn to 275. 232 You gaze up and down the passagesbriefly to get your bearings.From outside your bedroom door, passageslead east and west. Eastwardsare the rooms of the Elder monks and some other chambersyou don't know about. To the west, the doors to the dining hall face the main doors, and further along there are more doors - again,you do not know where thesemay lead to. If you want to explore to the east, tum to 265.lf you want to head westwards,tum to r97.

235-254 233 Alas for you! The Count has brought his tenible Mortvanian Demon Steed with him from his native land, and this evil black brute breathesfiery, choking smoke over you as it materializesbehind you when you set foot in the stables.You have to fight for your life. If you have Lung Rot, you must lose 3 srAMrNA points from the creature's reeking breath. Whether you have that affliction or not, you have to subtract z from your Attack Strength becauseof the obscuring, weakeningeffect of the red-eyed monster'sbreath.

DE MO N S T E E D

srrrl I

S TA MIN A

10

If you win, you reel back into the main coach-house. You should now investigate where you haven't been before. Will you: Explore the coach? Open the single door? Leave and make for the main mansion house?

Tum to 564 Turn to zz Tum to 46

At the far end of u rorilS*e with a fissurerunning acrossthe middle of its floor Carollar is standing, stining a steamingcauldronand screamingan incantation. As soonas sheseesyou, sheraisesher handsand the contentsof the cauldroncrackleand spark.Flares of fiery smokeleap up from it, and to your horror you can seethe clawso[ somekind of monsterbeginning to drag themselvesout of the boiling fluidsl If you havea longbow, you can fire arrowsat the witch; tum

V& 256-237

255

to 5o5. If you have some acid and want to throw it at her, turn to 3g8. Altematively, you can leap the fissure and attack her with your sword (tum to 5r).

256 You are in a chapel,with prayer mats and small idols of the gods of Titan, lit by flickering candles.If you want to stay here awhile, to pray for guidanceor look for help or clues, turn to z5z. Otherwise, you can leave and try the south door if you haven't already done so (tum to 58r) or the north door further to the east (tum to zz5).

235 You step through the open doorway into a spacious, sumptuously decorated room. Wooden stairs on the eastern wall lead up, and heavy black velvet drapes line the walls. What catchesyour attention, though, is the young man, gagged and trussed, writhing in a chair at the foot of the stairs. His simple grey robes have the rune of Good inscribed over his heart. He groans as you enter and wriggles furiously. Obviously he is trying to tell you something. Is this a trap, you wonder. You can't reach the stairs without passing close by him. Will you go and help him (turn to 256), back out and explore elsewhere in the east wing (turn to Wg), or make for the west wing (tum to

At last you have found a::IrReiner Heydrich himselfl But getting close to him will be another matter since he is standing far away from you, in a huge chamber with a central fissure running across it. A narrow rock bridge crosses it, but this route is guarded by a monstrous, green-skinned,GhoulJike thing wearing an iron mask, which hides all its face, and steel gauntlets that drip poison and hissing acid. The Count himself is wearing his red-lined,black silk cloak,and his handsare -clutching an amulet round his neck. Thin waving lines some form of magic or power - are flowing into his body; they originate in a set of portraits round the walls, pictures of the Vampire Eldersin the tombs you have just passed.Behlnd the Count are two archways, but for all that you can see, they contain only inky blackness.The Count lifts his hands in triumph, but he gestures for his Ghoul-guardian to attack rather than attackingyou himself.You wonder why that may be . . . You have choicesto make here. If you want to attack the Count's bizarre,Ghoul-like thing, turn to 53o.lf you want to try to jump acrossthe chasm(you cannot get to the bridge without killing the Ghoul), tum to z8o.

r++)?

&

238-2,59

24e2,47_

238 Passing through a bare, stinking chamber where the Zombies came from, you open a door into a corridor. There are doors too on the westem side of this passageand at the far end. Testyour Spot Skill.lf you are successful,tum to z87.lf you are unsuccessful, will you open the westem door (tum to gS) or the door at the end of the corridor (turn to zo8)?

'Don't kill met' th" *ir";l? cowardly thug snivels. He sinksto his kneesand clutchesyou round the legs, sobbing.If you decideto sparehim, turn to zgz. II you want to kill him, you can do so easily,sincehe hasdroppedhis weapon;turnto y53.

You find the witch's ,r"'a5s:r" kove. The avaricious crone must have slain many travellers on the borders of her lands, and she has hidden her ill-gotten gains here. You find trinkets, coins and knick-knacks worth a total of zo Gold Pieces. There are also two excellent sealed and preserved cheeseswhich you can take for food (add 3 to your Provisions). However, you find no magic, which is disappointing. You guess that any magic the cronehad must be hidden behind that magical barrier in her lair. If you want to retum there and risk going through the archway, tum to 264. Altematively, you can explore the cave at the very end of the passage, if you haven't done so before (tum to zo6), or you can leave and head for the surface(tum to rlS).

If youhavelostun, ,",r.ffints duringthisadventure, for whatever reason,they are all fully restored! Unfortunately, there is a side-effectto drinking this potion: it was concocted using the essencesof Wraiths and Spectres,and if you meet an undead of either type, you must subtract r from your Attack Strength when fightlng them (make a note of this on your Adoenture Sheet).Now you can drink the Essence,if you haven't already done so and you wish to try it (tum to Sgg, or you can leave and search elsewhere in the passage outsidethe Doktor's laboratory (tum to 7). &,

t

"sr5-*FF-ijd*F-

21'2-244

The Werewolf has u gol#'u*ulet round its neck set with 3o small bloodstones. If you want to take this, make a note of the number of gems it has. Now, you continue through the woods and retum to the main trail. Tum to r48.

For the ftrst three Attack i1'""0, of your coming fight against the Count, you must roll two dice and add the numbers together. If this total is ever lower than your FAIrH score, the Vampire hypnotizes you and you must submit to his will, so ending your adventure! Now turn to 565.

244 You takelgor's sword;this is a magicsword,and you may add r to your Attack Strengthwhen using it, so gain r rucr point as well. Igor has a gold ring set with sevensmallmoonstones. This is worth ro Gold Pieces,and you should also make a note of the number of gems in the ring. You make a hunied

244

searchof the room and find a locked trunk under the bed;it contains6 Gold Piecesand a book.The book is entitled, simply, 'sewarth'sCodex', and it has r55 pages (make a note of this number).You decide to look at this later, becausefirst vou have to worrv

handsare claspedover his chest,his long ftngemails immaculately manicured. Graspingyour sword, you drive it into his chest.A little blood seepsfrom the wound,but asyou withdraw the bladethe stainsdisappear! The grin of the Vampire seemseven wider now. You pull back the curtainsto let the early moming sunlightinto the room,but even as the light reacheshis body he smilesagain.Finally, in desperation, you cut off his headwith your swordand, by its own volition, the grinning head moves slowly backto the body and attachesitselfoncemore! The Vampire is truly invulnerable.However, you can at least destroy his coffin here, and you have the Codex; gain 4 Blood Points! So what will you do now?Will you: Try to rousepeoplein the inn to do somethingabout the Vampire? Turn to z6t Go backto your room and readthe Codex? Turn to 5o6 Go backto your room and sleep? Turn to g7g

247

245-2,46

The old women continue ffi f,rrior,r,arguing for some time, then walk away from one another.The older and uglier of the two walks up to a large rock and lays her hands on it. The boulder simply rolls to one side, revealinga passagewhich leadsdown into the subterranean gloom. She enters,and the rock rolls back above the entry point. The younger one hobbles to Crab Peak itself and goes into a tiny caveentrancein the side of the great rock. If you want to follow the older crone,tum to 5zg.lf you want to follow the younger one, turn to 277.

begins to form. As you peer at it, the mist takes the shapeof abizarre, tendrilled creaturewhich strikes the window with a disgusting 'plop'. The horror simply dissolves the glass away and flaps into the room beyond. Will you: Climb up the wall to get to the upstairsroom? Hammer on the front door of the house? Leave,and come back tomorrow to see what has happened? Decide you don't like this at all and leave Farleigh,heading northeastwards? Leave Farleigh for another area altogether?

Turn to y4r Turn to 5y Turn to 569 Turn to r98 Turn to 5o4

247 jar Which type of will you smash?Will you break' 246 You leave the Golden Goose and hang about outside; minutes later, the fat sage emerges and waddles off towards Orchead Souare.He unlocks his front door and, if you were thinking of forcing an entry, you change your mind when you see the size of the enormous bodyguard lurking in the hallway. Reason tells you you should go back to an inn to get some rest and food but, for no good reason you can think of, you stay here for a few minutes longer. Outside an upstairs window of the house, where a light inside shows that someone has just lit a lamp, a misty haze

An empty jar? One containing dust or ash only? One with mist and sparksinside it?

Turn to 269 Turn to 5or Tum to 96

248-249

uring your shieldto try ?3torrr"., your headagainst the rain of blows, out of the corner of your eye you see something bizarre happening on the dining table. One of the tureens has tipped over and a shapeless pile of rotting innards is emptying itself on to the tablel This disgusting remnant is jerking about with the same rhythm as that of the knives, plates and serversthat are assaultingyou! As you look at it, the 'creature' is beginning to take a Zombie-like shape. You attack it with vour sword.

P RO T O -Z O MB I E

sKtLL 7

STAM TN A 5

Each Attack Round you have to fight this thing, you must lose 1 srAMrNA point automaticallythrough being assailed.Furthermore,the massof fleshgoes on growing until you destroy it. The Proto-Zombiegains 1 srAMrNA point each Attack Round until you reduce its srAMrNA to zero or below. It does not attack you itself; if you lose an Attack Round to it, you fail to strike it. If you manage to defeat this peculiar opponent, you can either open the door to the east and enter the kitchens (tum to tzg) or return to the main passageoutside (tum to 599).

You have no time to fo#?nrith a wave of his hand, Siegfried gives you the blessings of the gods and returns you to your own world. You are standing outside Mortus Mansion, and your final goal lies to the north-west. Tum to r:69.

-,t-

255-254

2,re2,52 250

You don't really have much in the way of groundsfor suspicion,but you say you are surprisednot to have been told where Sewarthis, or exactly how long he will be away.Marcus scratcheshis brow with worry. 'He left without tellinganyonewhy,'he says.Questioning him, you leam that it was Endrellwho told Marcus about the departureof the other Elders;they didn't tell him themselves.Marcusis clearlyworried. You decide that you don't want to confront Endrell with this, so you pump Marcus fdr more information.All he has himselfare misgivings,but he does say that he has noticed that Endrellis bften not in his bedroom at nights.You have your own suspicionsabout Endrell now, so you decide to do some exploring in the monastery.Turn to z5z. 254

The Vampyre attacks with her long fangs and razorshalp nails!

VAMPYRE

s K rL Lg

ST AM IN A

10

If the Vampyre has an Attack Strength of zr in any Attack Round,make a note of this paragraphnumber then tum to 9S.If you win, tum to 338.

Neither searching Uit"?.ning the gods of Titan ".,You just wastetime;lose r Blood getsyou anywhere. Point. As you leave, if you have slain a monk here, tum to 55t.If your handsareclean,tum to 58r.

Openingthe backd"", J?f" mansionhouse,you see a gravel courtyard outside. There is a wooden hut of some kind near by, but you also think you can hear low growls and a moumful howl coming out of the mists that surround you. If you want to go out and explore, tum to ry6.|f you think better of it, you can open the eastem door in the hallway (tum to 34g) or the westem door (tum to r l'l). 254 You summon Harquar's dim-witted bodyguard and send him to fetch a healer; after swallowing some herbal preparations, Harquar feels much better. 'You have saved my life,' he says rather uncertainly. He's obviously still in shock. You decide to come right out and tell him your whole story: that you are pursuing a Vampire, your meeting with Henrik, and all that has happenedto you. Harquar looks first astounded, then grim. 'So Henrik has been murdered, and the Halls of the Stars destroyed,' he muses.'l may be the only one left. Henrik had followed Heydrich from Allansia to the Old World, you know. He knew Sewarth from many years ago and begged his help in tracking down Heydrich's one weakness.In his turn, Sewarth asked me to keep a watch on the mansion house Heydrich had bought here. It's a bad place. The local people have always kept well away. Many years ago, a nobleman went mad there and slew his whole family so the place is full of ghosts, vengeful things. Everyone was very

255

z5Fz56

surprisedwhen an unknown count from another land bought it. But it would make an excellent cover for such an evil man: anything untoward happening in the areawould be put down Lo the old ghosts,not to him. I found it difficult to recruit any reliable scouts and spies in the area, frankly, and I've not been able to keep track of the Count's movements.'You are disappointed by this news. Tum to 5t5.

you. You thank him for his gift and listen carefully to his instructions on how to reach the Bluestonemines. 'One final thing,'he says. 'You might consider talking to old Grundy. He was the foreman in the mines for many years, before they were abandoned and the undeadbegan to stalk the lower depths once more. He knows the many hazardsof the mines.' If you want to find the old miner and talk to him, turn to 52.If you prefer to set off for the mines immediately, tum to 454.

The man flicks through"ii" pages of the codex, nodding his head now and again and muttering, 'Hmm.' At last he tells you that the Codex records in a complex code the location in the Ghoulcrypts o[ a powerful magical sword which you should try to find. 'The sword of the fifth Knight of the Thorn,' he says. 'They were a body of dedicatedwarriors who sought, many long years ago, to root out the undead in the Crypts. They slew many but failed in their final goal. However, they did seal the Crypts - but Heydrich has found entry, and you will have to follow him. The sword is vital to you; you can hardly hope to overcome him without it.'

256 Testyour SpotSkill.lf you are successful, turn to 356.If you fail, tum to 589. 257 'Most interesting,' Endrell murrnurs, scanning the papers briefly, then studying some of them more carefully. 'l think you should wait for Sewarth to retum. He will want to talk to you about this man Henrik, I am sure.Not that anv o[ this meansmuch to me, I'm afraid.' 'May I look at those?'the younger man asks.Endrell shakes his head and hands the papers back to you, telling you to hold on to them until Sewarth returns. Testyour SpotSkill.lf you are successful,tum to 5oz.lf you fail, tum to 55.

The man gets up slowly and walks over to a cupboard, from which he extracts a silver flask. He tells you that this contains a specialpreparation: an antidote to the paralysing effect of Ghoul's claws. You can drink this at any time, except during combat, and if you would normally be paralysed(and killed) by a Ghoul in either of your two following combats with any type of Ghoul, you can ignore the paralysis;it does not affect la

258 The Count strikes at you with powerful fists, and he will also try to bite you on the throat! If you do not

t

25tr25o

z6 t

divide your Blood Points score by five (rounding fractionsup) to get a number.Subtractthat numbei fromhis srAMrNAgivenbelow. REINER HEYDRICH

sKILL11

STAMINA15

If you reduce the Count's srAMrNA to 4 points or below, turn to zoo.

259 Your malady is getting worsel Lose z Blood points, and you must subtract r point from your srlrr and r point from both your Initial and Current srAMrNA. You desperatelyneed to find help quickly. If you want to make for Mortus Mansion and look for help either there or on the way, turn to r98. If you want to searchfor a healer in these remote parts of Analand, turn to g. z6o Cracks appear along the length of the stone and it seemsto be splitting from top to bottom even while

you look at it. A dreadful shriek of dismay and rage fills the cavern, and the stone explodes. Testyour Skill. If you are successful,you manage to duck away from the worst of the hail of stone and rock fragments;lose i srAMrNA points but gain 1 LUCKpoint. If you fail, you get hammered by an avalanche of exploding stone and rock. Lose 8 sr.c,vrNa points. If you are still alive, you pick yourself up dazed, and look around. The bodies have crumbled to dust. The ancientmagical blight holding the souls imprisoned here has been destroyed, and above you the cursed and barren ground will regain its natural fertility. Gain r FArrH point! Now you should explore the left-hand passage behind you, if you have not already done so (turn to 56), or return to the surface(turn to r45).

z6r Your frantic appeals for help and your warnings are simply ignored by everyone. They look at you as if you were mad and go out of their way to avoid you. Clearly Heydrich has affected everyone's mind here. Frustrated and angry, you can either settle down to read the book you have found (turn to 5o6) or get some rest (turn to 579).

z6z-253

You stand over the ."*u'#of the gruesome monster in the middle of a growing throng of excited villagers. Pushing through them is a man with a hard-lined face, short black hair, steely grey eyes and plain brown robes. He waves people out of his way with a hawthom stick and they part to let him through. He takes you by the arm and stares you in the eyes with an unflinching gaze.'Come and eat,' he says simply. You were fortunate to survive such a hunter. Fortunate, and brave.'

,llfl* W"rl

You go with the long-striding man to an austere house where a silent servant brings bowls of hot soup, cheese,fruit and fresh-baked bread. 'You are pursuing the Count,' the man says in a matter-of-fact way. 'l have sensedhis flight here. It will not be long before he brings his plans to fruition.' Then he coughs horribly, and covers his mouth with a handkerchief. You realize that, despite initial appearances,he is very ill. When he has recovered,he staresat you again in his disturbing way; there is something very sinister about him, of that there can be no doubt. If you want to trust him and go on talking with him, tum to 5S7.If you don't care for his company, you can leave and begin your search for the Ghoulcrypts alone; tum to 349. z6j Testyour Skill. lf you are successful,you touch a rock Iedge on your way down and grab on to it. However, your arrns are severely strained by the weight of

264-265 foam-flecked water roaring down on top of your body; deduct z points from your srAMrNA and tum to 5ry. lf you fail, your body is dashed to pieces on jagged rocks far, far below. Your adventureends here.

264 If you want to utter any magical words the crone told you, tum to 525. If you want to read through any papersor books you have for some clues,this will take time; turn to 352 if you decide to do this. If you prefer just to step straight through the magical barier, tum to 18. z6j In the east wing of the monastery there are several doors. There is one to the north, which must lead into a sizeableroom, judging by distances.To the south, there are two pairs of doors facing each other, to the east and west. You know the first door to the west is Endrell's room, and you guess that the one facing it must be Marcus's room. The others you do not know about. Finally, there is a door to the south. You should explore somewhereyou have not visited before. Will you oPen:

266-267

The door to the north? The door to Marcus's room, if you haven't spoken with him already? The seconddoor to the west? The seconddoor to the east? The door to the south?

Tum to 375 Tum to 556 Tum to ro7 Tum to r8r Turn to r55

You have almost ,"".nua"lt,t" far door when the faststriding hound finally catches up with you. With a great leap, the thing hurls itself at your back and its great paws hammer against your spine; deduct z points from your srAMrNA. Testyour )kill, adding z to the total rolled. If you are successful,you manage to throw ihe ghastly thing aside and dive through the door, slamming it shut behind you; tum to rr..lf you fail, you are forced to fight; turn to 5zz.

26y You have a mighty battle on your hands. If you do not have a magic sword, you cannot harm the witches and your adventure ends here. If you do have a magic sword, you must fight the witches together. In the

268

269

first two Attack Rounds,Shevalawill attackyou with a poisoneddaggerwhile Carrolarcastsspellsat you, firing small bolts of lightning into your body. You must lose 4 srAMrNApoints from eachof thesespell attacks.Thereafter,both will fight with their daggers. If you are struckby a dagger,roll one dice.If you roll 4 or higheayou mustlose3 srAMrNApointsfrom the strikebecause of the poison. SKIL L

SHEVALA (First Witch) CAROLLAR (SecondWitch)

s r.o

STA MIN A

rr. r.o

If you win, turn to zg7.

268 'l have many interests,'your host says warily. 'Especially philosophy and the life of the soul after death. This in particular intrigues me,' he adds as if giving a Iecture. Then he lunges forward towards you, almost rising out of his chair, making you shrink back in surprise.'l am especiallyinterested in the transmigration of souls,'he shrieks,'and in spirit possession!'

Then you see it: the glow of somethinground his neck, an amulet perhaps,hidden beneathhis robes. The madmanleaps to his feet and draws a sinuous daggerfrom the folds of his robes.Poisondrips from the blade.You cannot escape,and you will have to fight him. SANDAR

srrll 8

S TA MIN A

1Z

If Sandarstrikesyou, you will lose j sTAMINApoints ratherthan the usualtwo, because of the poisonon his dagger.You may fight him normally, or you can try to snatchthe amulet from round his neck. If you do, you must deductz points from your Attack Strength. If you have the higher Attack Strength,you tug the amulet away;tum to 548. Otherwise,if three Attack Roundspassand you have still not takenthe amulet awayfrom him,you musttum at onceto 25.

269

You smash the container, but nothing happens. You can now smash one with dust inside if you like (turn to 5or) or one with mist and sparks (tum to 96) or you can leave and searchelsewhere(tum to Z).

27b277-

272-27A

270 The Megaghoul has not been appointed the Count's final guardian for nothing. When it has the higher

Attack Strength, you must roll one dice and consult the table below to seehow much damage its blow has done you. If it strikes you four times or more, tum at once to 84.

MEGAGHO U L Dice Roll L

2-4 S-6

SKIL L 1 0

STAM T N A 1 3

Damage Losbz points from your srAMrNA Lose z points from your srAMrNA * r point for acid damage Lose z points from your srAMrNA * r point for acid damage * r point for poison damage

272

evenasyou try to pressonwards.Will you: Ty !. get backto the road? Climb a tree and try to stay out of trouble? Wait and draw your sword?

Tum to 559 Tum to ror Tum to 66

The.Vampire is alreadv'Jf".,.,"ttingpower into his handsin order to castanotherspeillt'you. you must

If you win, tum to zg4.

the chill and numbingeffectof the spell.Tum to r5B.

274

Retuming to the main entrance hall, you can now enter the east wing, if you have not done so before (tum to 54g), or the west wing, if you haven't done so before (turn to r44), or leave the mansion house altogether (tum to 4o).

274-276

An intense sensation vou like a blast of "f?"!lhits cold air as you open the door. This cold stone chamber is wholly bare, and to the west, chiselled stone steps lead downwards. A single figure stands here. In the gloom, you might well take it for a Zombie or a Ghoul, but it is the Grand Revenant which bars the way to Heydrich's subterraneanlair and is a terrible enemy. Magic has infused its bones with immense strength and ferocity, and there is no escapingit now. You must fight for your life. GRAND REVENANT

SKILL10

STAM TN A 1 4

If you win, turn to 372.

You hurry on downw urTJ, ,n ough a cavern with bright red-orange stripes in the grey limestone, somewhat resemblinga side of bacon,if rather more colour, fult Ahead of you is a yawning chasm and two rock platforms cross it to more caverns beyond; both of them look strong and safe to cross. If you want to take the right-hand platform, tum to xr,o. lf you want to take the left-hand platform, turn to 7oy. 276 By great good fortune you come across a simple farmer leading a horse back to his farmstead.'Damed thing escapedagain.He loves running away,the wretch. Must have been all the noise of folks getting up at nights that roused him,' the old farmer grumbles. The horse looks distinctly perky and frisky, not the usual

27r27E farm workhorseat all. If you want to, you canbuy the horse,but it's going to cost you every Gold Pieceyou have,no matter how much that is. If you're ready to pay up, fum to 8y. lf you won't hand over all your gold, tum to zog.

279 S TA MIN A

S K ILL

FirstIMP SecondIMP

5 6

7 7

If you manageto overcome the Imps, the old man now ftghtswith a long, shatterproofglassrod, dripping acid.You will be fortunateto survivethis combat! DOKTOR VERRUCKTE

sxrn 8

srAMrNA9

If you win, you searchthe laboratorybut find nothing you can use. The script on the book the man was reading has disappeared,leaving only blank pages. You can either climb the stairsand searchfurther (tum to r73) or leaveand exploreelsewhere(turn to z). You approachthe ,uu"Krunce but can make out only darkness.Lighting your lantem, you edge your way into a spaceand then you seea passageleading further into the rock crag opposite, so you head towardsit. As you do, thereis a'dull 'pop'aboveyou and you look up to seesomelargefungi on the ceiling which have just releaseda cloud of choking spores over you! Testyour Skill. lf you are successful,you manage to get out of their way before the spores reachthe level of your head;tum to g7o.lf you fail, you must lose z sTAMINApoints through coughing and c-hoking(if you have Lung Rot, you must lose 4 srAMrNApoints;tum to l+1. 278 With a wave of your hand the old man conjures up a

pair of Imps. You have to fight them together before you canget at him.

Not far from the .ou.nirffln, the road leadsnortheastwardsand you have a long joumey aheadof you. You askeveryoneyou meetabout the coach,and from time to time someonetells you he has seen the infernalcarriage.You can only hope that you are still on the right track.If you have a horse,you needto eat two mealsduring your travels.If you are on foot, you must eat five meals.If you have Bloodbane,you must deduct 2 more points from your Initial and Current srAMrNA scores.Eventuallyyou find yourself in a smallhamlet,where you may buy suppliesif you have any money to pay for them. You can buy Provisions; r Gold Piecewill buy enoughfor 3 meals.If you want to sell your horse(if you have one!),a farmerwill give you 4 Gold Piecesfor him. It's daylight robbery, but you have little choice.No one here will sell you a

2,Eo-.28z

285

horse, though: they're in short supply, except for clapped-outnags that no one in their right mind would want to own. If you want to ask about healing or scholarsor any magicianwho may be living in the area,tum to S54.lf you want to presson, tum to 89.

You are brave - una .r"'$"roohardy. The chasmis both wide and deep. Testyour Skill, adding 3 to the total rolled. If you succeed,tum to 56t-. lf you fail, your body is smashedto pieceson the jagged rocks far below and your adventureendshere. zBtOn a suddenwhim, you start looking ior anything on Mortvania or Vampires.You find a small section of books on the undead,and - interestingly- a number of books are definitelymissingfrom this section,given the gap in the shelves.Severalbooks must have been borrowed.Thereisn't any kind of ledgerof borrowings here,however.Will you now: Go up to the dome? Explorethe eastwing further? Explorethe west wing?

Tum to zr8 Tum to 265 Tum to r97

You demandto know ,ittr"", the thugs to attack you. The grovelling wretch saysthat a huge brute of a man, someonethe villagershad never seen before, came to Fendringhamthe night before last and told the thugs to expect you. 'Gave us ten gold each to

deal with yer,'e did,' the man says. "E was a run'un. Dressed in summat wot looked like a big black sack, and'e'ad these'orriblescarsall over'is face.'The man shudders at the memory. Then his face changes into a mask of devilish cunning, as if he was possessed,and before you can react he whips a knife from behind the calf of one leg and drives the blade into your stomach. The weapon carriesa deadly poison; you must lose z srAMrNA points from the blow. Now roll four dice and add the numbers rolled. If the total is greater than your srAMrNA score,you are killed outright and your adventure ends here. If the total is less than your srAMrNA score, you must still deduct 4 additional points from your srAMrNA becauseof the agonizing venom. If you are still alive, you strike the man down with your sword. Now, will you: Barricade yourself in the room and go to sleep? Go to the bar and demand to know more about the man who paid to have you killed? Leave the inn and make for Mortus Mansion?

Tum to gg5

Tum to 584 Tum to 9z

285 You can buy many items in Farlbigh; this is a market village, after all. Make your purchases from the list below and alter your AdoentureSheetaccordingly. Food (z Provisions) ro metres of rope Garlic (one string)

r Gold Piece r Gold Piece r Gold Piece

2E4

285

Belladonna (Lycanthropy cure) Herbal cure for Lung Rot Herbal cure for Bloodbane Ghoulbane,r vial Silver stakeand mallet Climbing boots for hill-climbing Potion of Stamina Potion of Luck Flaskof herbal liqueur Anti-venom (r vial) Silver mirror Magic sword Longbow and quiver of arrows

5 Gold Pieces 4 Gold Pieces 4 Gold Pieces 3 Gold Pieces r Gold Pieces + Gold Pieces z Gold Pieces + Gold Pieces z Gold Pieces 4 Gold Pieces 5 Gold Pieces 15 Gold Pieces r Gold Pieces

Belladonna will cure Lycanthropy, if you have it; consuming Belladonna means you will have to lose z STAMINApoints from the effects of the poison, however. If you have Bloodbane, and you cure it now, you may restore your Initial srtv.rNA score to its full value. Ghoulbanecan be smearedon a sword and will allow you to add z points to your Attack Strength in a combat against any kind of Ghoul. One vial contains enough for three applications,one application lasts for a single combat. You can smear it on your sword immediately before any fight with a Ghoul of any kind. A Potion of Stamina,when drunk, restores lost srAMrNA points equal to half your Initial sttv:Na score, rounding fractions down. A Potion of lucr restores r-3 lost rucx points (roll one dice and divide the number rolled by z, rounding fractions up). A flask of liqueur restores 4 srAMrNA points when drunk. Anti-venom will protect you from poison for one

combat or encounter - the first after you have drunk it. If a paragraph instructs you to lose srnvlNa from poison and you have drunk Anti-venom, you lose no srAMrNA. All these liquids can be drunk at any time, except during combat. A magic sword adds r to your Attack Strength during combat. A longbow will allow you to fire arrows at enemies from a distance; some paragraphs will offer you the option of using it when appropriate. When you have made your purchases, you can ask around to find a sage or scholar, if you haven't already done so (turn to j75), or you can continue on your way north-eastwards(tum to r98). Altematively, if you want to make for another place whose name you know, tum to 5o4.

You have made the ,ig'h?a.noi.e. Shrouded in the darknessbeyond the archway is the last coffin of your hated enemy, but you see a slight figure bending over it. She stands up straight and faces you, fear written large on her face. She is very beautiful, though eerily pale, with long, black hair framing her face. 'Thank all the gods of good,' she purrs, 'you have slain the monster!'Will you ask her to tell you her story (tum to 5o9) or will you attack her (fum to 5gt)?

2ES-2,Ey

285 You were unwise to ignore the waming. As you trudge through the village, a hulking figure comes flailing at you from behind. It is manlike and carries a huge, wooden club, studded with chunks of metal. It wears only black sacking and appears to have been cobbled together from bits of various bodies. The monster stands an arm's length taller than you and is immensely muscularand strong. Testyour Luck.lf you are Lucky, you manage to avoid the monster's first blow. If you are Unlucky, it strikes you with the benefit of surpriseand you must deduct z points from your srAMrN.q,. Tum to r9o. 286 As you move towards the lantern, the workman suddenly becomesagitated. He picks up a heavy iron bar that is hooked and serratedat one end, and he looks at you very threateningly. If you want the lantern, you're going to have to fight this very muscular and powerfulJooking man. If you decide to fight him, tum to 1jS. Altematively, you can decide to leave the coach-houseand make for the main mansion house instead(turn to 46). 287

Clearly the east wall of this corridor is not flush with the entrance hall. Searching carefully, you find a secret door on the east side of the passage.If you want to open it, tum to 5r8. Altematively, you can open the westem door (tum to gt) or the door at the end of the corridor (turn to zo8).

I

288-zgr

m

292-294

You have blundered*tr'lta""aly hapt As the door opens, spearsfly along the coridor from the south and hammerinto your back.You arepropelledforward into the deep, spike-filledpit behind the door. your adventureendshere! 289 You must pay a Gold Piece to stay here. If you wish

to pay this, tum to yo. If you cannot, or aren't preparedto pay, you must look for somewhereelseto stay and rest (tum to 525)or you may leaveand keep watch over the inn from a safedistance(tum to Sg+). Forcing open the .h"rt,';; find some brass-bound volumes.Onein particularcatches your eye:AHistoryof Mortoania,Tol.s.Flickingthroughits pages,you seethat many notes have beenmade in the margins.Unfortunately,you hearstepscomingtowardsthe room! Looking around,you seethat you can hide yourself in the wardrobeif you wishto avoidwhoeveris coming.If you want to do this,you must TestyourLuck.If you areLucky, tum to tr.z.lf you areUnlucky,tum to ry4.|f you are preparedstandyour ground and meet the approaching man,tum to 585. You strike at the ofa", #"t with your sword. If you do not have a magic sword, you cannotharm her and shewill destroyyou. Otherwise,fight on! SHEVALA

s K rL Lg

ST AM INA

11

In the first two Attack Rounds,Shevalawill attackby using spells:shefires smallbolts of lightning into your body. If shehas the higher Attack Strength,you must lose 4 srAMrNApoints from her attack.If you have the higher Attack Strength,you will strike her and her spell will be ruined. From the third Attack Round onwards,she fights with a poisoneddagger.If she strikesyou, roll one dice. If you roll 4 or highea you loser additionalsrAMrNApoint because of the venom on her blade.If you win, TestyourSpotSkill.lf you are successful, tum to 3n.lf you fail,tum to 555. This tomb room is save for the fine stone "^ir?7 tomb of the long-dead knight within it. You gain nothingby your choice.The knight'sghostushersyou out of the tomb, and you makefor the door half-way along the passagebeyond the tombs, and open it. Tum to 595. You can hear someon" ii,irr"r,.rg to himself - it is Endrell'svoice!'Must haveescape{'he is cursing.'He will have killed to eat - it's too late to worry now. I mustget everythingout of hereandgo to the Master.' Thenthevoicestopsandyou standdeadlystill,but you can seea light coming towards you from the corridor below.If you want to staywhereyou areandchallenge Endrell,tum to g$.lf you opt to attackhim,tum to 69. 294 Having felled the Count's guardian,you are standing on the opposite side of the narrow bridge to the

r'

zgS-zgG

2'97

villainous,satumineVampire.He seemsto be growing in strength even as you look at him. How will you assailhim?If you want to throw Blackfireat him, tum to z5t.lf you want to drink a mystery potion, you know the number of scratcheson the potion vial. Multiply that number by sixteen to arrive at a new total, then tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber. If you want to throw acid at the Count, tum to 85. If you want to fire an arrow from a longbow at the Vampire,turn to 7gy.lf you want to raceacrossthe rock bridge and attackhim, tum to zy5.

;il

irl $,l !1

You are no botanist,unal?fu.ing a forest for a plant you probablycan'trecognize,atnight,isnot awisemove. Loser BloodPointfor the delay,andyou mustnow eata meal.Now retum to the maintrail.Tum to r48.

|

,s6

r The creature used, or attempted to use, most of the filled vessels that were here, and there is little left for you to take. There is one heavy flask labelled 'Oil of Disenchantment', and it has a number inscribed into the wax seal on it; the number is '260', so make a note of this. You can have no way of knowing what the oil / does, of course (it may remove enchantments- or it could be a miserable disappointment when you find out what it does do!). You will be offered the chance to use this oil later on. There are also some notes from a 'Dr Vemrckte', instructions for preparing 'essence containers', whatever they are, and an order to deliver them to the west wing of the building. If you want to

makefor the west wing of the building now, tum to U+. lf you want to explore a part of the east wing whichyou havenot seenbefore,tum to 399. 297 Gain r rucr point and r rarrH point for achievement! Exploring the area, you find a cave entrance in the side of Crab Peak. You explore the passageand caves inside, but in one area a cluster of fungi on the roof releasesshowers of choking spores over you. Lose z srAMrNA points through coughing and choking (lose 4 sTAMINApoints if you already have Lung Rot). You find a large cavem with a steaming cauldron hissing and spitting fire' the witches' lairl Exploring this cavem, you find a rock which can be rolled away to reveal a small alcove. |ust as you are about to see what lies beyond, a pair of tall, dark-haired rnen with stout leather arrnour and well-polished swords come striding into the cavern behind you. Just our luck,' one of the bandits grins, 'we'd been watching those witches for weeks, trying to sneak in here when they were out. Now this idiot comes along and kills them for us, and we get to take all their treasure!' They draw their swords and attack you. You can back up against a wall and fight them one at a time. S K ILL

FirstBANDIT SecondBANDIT

7 7

STAMINA

7 6

If you win, you can take 5 Gold Piecesand enough food for z mealsfrom them. You roll back the rock you wereon the point of examining.Tum to zzo.

298-299

You feelbewildered

i?rt*r""tated.You arestand-

""a ing on a hazy, insubstantial surface,surroundedby barrenplains and mists. Beforeyou standsa single glowing figure, tall, fair-hairedand grave in appearance.'He is gone to the Ghoulcrypts,'the spectre declaressadly. 'You will have to follow him there.' You stand still, trying to get your breath back. You have no idea who this figure is until he introduces himself.'l am Siegfried,Reiner'sbrother and his nemesis.When he was brought back into existence,the magicalso calledme backfrom my own resting-place. We are inseparable: he is the darkness,I am the light. But I am still trappedhereand can do nothing to stop him. I do know where he is, however,and I can help you. Pass beyond the northern Great Wall to the marginsof the ShamutantiHills and seekthe village of Shame.k. Find the Gatekeeper.He has stood guard for many long yearsover the secretplaces,and he will be glad that his long wait is over. When you find the Ghoulcrypts,you must seekthe tomb of the fifth and last Knight of the Thom there.Not only the Vampire Eldersare buried in that place;the tombs of their five greatest enemies,those fabled Knights, stand there also.In that fifth tomb you will find a great weaponto aid you againstReiner.This time, you must destroy him utterly.' If you have a red crystal heart, tum to z4g.lf you do not havethis,tum to j4. 299

Through the gloom and mist you can make out the shapeof the mansionhousein front of you. To your

3ob5oa

5o2-304

right, however, there is a coach-house and a set of stables. If you want to explore the stables and coachhouse,tum to 5zt.lt you prefer to make straight for the main house, tum to 46.If you want to prowl around in the grounds and explore generally, tum to 578.

You notice that Endrell,rti3*t"g someanxiety about Marcus seeingthe notes; clearly he doesn't want the younger man to see what has been written in theml Tum to 55.

503

The Blackfiredestroysall the skeletonsinstantly.you step out with a spring in your stride:will you now follow the left-handpassage(tum to t64) or continue shaightahead(tum to zoz)?

500

If you overcameSandarin battle,tum to 89. If you did not, turn to 567. You smashthe container.t"fi an intensechill emanates from it and freezesyou to the bone.Deduct4 points from your srAMtNA.You decideit will not be wise to smashany more flasks,so you leave to searchelsewhere.Tum to 7.

tpil" Changethelettersof the n"" wantto go to into numbers, usingthe codeA = r, B = r, C = 5 and

made the wrong choice; retum to paragraph r48 and select a place to go to that you have not visited before.

5o5-5o6

505 Your longbow is of no use, alas, for the witch can be harmed only by magical weapons. Your useless€urow sails across the cavem and lands at her feet. But a shower of buming smoke covers you and you must lose 5 srAMrNA points. Now you can either throw acid at her, if you have some (tum to 598), or rush and attack her with your sword (tum to lr).

5o75o8

With a sighof reliefyoulli.n ,n" far endof the rock

bridge and seefluted pillars of sculptedstoneaheadof

tumto 574.

5o6 You are eagerto read Sewarth'sCodex - which must havebeenthe reasonHeydrichwent to the monastery: to stealthis book away and guard its secrets.But you have hardly read the first pagewhen your fingersslip from the page in utter exhaustion.After all, you have ridden all night, and you are desperatelytired. Tum to 579.

308 Sounds of yelling and snarling can be heard coming from the woods to your left.-You creep silently tol wards the sowce of the noise'and come .rpo.r a man

il 3aa-512

3o9-3Lo

trying to keep at bay a pair of heavy-muzzled, thickfurred wolves that are circling him and snarling.Beside the man lie the body of a warrior and three wolf corpsestoo. The man doesn't look much of a warrior and is clearly desperately frightened. He has only a knife for self-defenceand the wolves look set to finish him off easily. If you want to go to his aid, tum to 596.lf you decidenot to fight the wolves but continue through the woods and retum to the trail beyond the mist patch, tum to 15. If you decide to hang around and seewhat happens,tum to 86.

you will surelybump into someonecloserto the area, who will be able to tell you where it can be found. Tum to 57. 5ar Carollaris smiling in a very unpleasantmanner.You you havekilled her realizethat this is not just because rival - she'sgoing to attackyou! You have time for one brief action.You have no time to eat a meal,but you candraina flaskof herballiqueuror usea magical item, if you have suchthings.Then you will have to fight the treacherous crone.Tum to 555.

The woman, who t"il, ;;; that her name is Anna, says she is the slaveof the hated Count. He hypnotized her and took her away from her home, and he has kept her here for many months. Her voice is soothing and you are inclined to trust her, but you are eager to finish off the Vampire - and she wants to keep on pouring out her talel At last you push past her and advance on the coffin. Too late! The woman's long fangs are beginning to show, and her nails suddenly reach out and claw at your neck; deduct z points from your srAMrNe. Sheis in fact KatarinaHeydrich, Reiner's Vampyre sister,and now you have to fight herl

From behind your back a spectralfigure comesflying at you; it is one of the many undeadwhich haunt the crypts. The Wraith has a chill aura about it and, if it strikesyou, you will be in serioustrouble!

57-2

KATARINA HEYDRICH

SKILL10

WRAITH

srrlr 8

STAM TN A 9

If you win, and if the Wraith struckyou at leastonce, roll one dice. If you roll 14, the Wraith drainedyou of r point of srtlr! Tum to 156.

STAMINA11

If you win, turn to 44. 5ao Crab Peak,you know, lies in the shadow of the Great Wall. By heading north-west from where you are now,

A

5a3-374

The laboratory here i" l"lituo" clutter. Vessels of bronze, iron and glass seem to have been thrown around randomly, though they are connected by many glass and brass pipes which run all over the place. Oily foul-smelling fluids bubble and simmer in flasks suspended over oil-burning lamps. Strings of rank weeds and grasses,bundled together, hang from iron rails suspendedfrom the ceiling. Vats hold coloured liquids, and there is even one filled with what looks unpleasantly like rendered fat. Steam gushes from odd mechanical contrivances which clank and whirr. Wooden steps lead upwards into darkness at the eastern end of the room. Seated high above this mechanical pandemonium and poring over a huge book is a white-haired old man with an implausibly long nose, on the end of which perch huge eyeglasses. He looks up at you irritably. 'What is it?'he snaps.'l'm very busy. I've got the Ghoul essencesto get ready for next week and the fat-digesting machines got clogged up this moming. What do you want?' You hardly know what to make of all this. If you want to attack the man, tum to r,gg.lf you prefer to talk to him, tum to zz7.If you decide to retreat and search elsewhere,tum to 7. 314 Surprisingly, the room on other side of this door has no tomb in it, just a stone statue of a huge knight, mightily muscled and strong-faced. You gaze at the beautifully sculpted figure for a moment before you

F1

grF5r7

345

realizethat the sword in the man's right hand is not madeof stoneat all: it is of metal!Excitedlyyou prise it away from the stone hand which grips it only loosely.If you have LateritVampirism,tum to 56.lf you have Lycanthropy,tum to 566. If you have neitheraffliction,turn to 55. 345

'Together, however, the three of us did manage to piece together one of the Vampire's final secrets. Three witches of Analand constructeda crystal heart: while this infemal object is still in existence,Heydrich cannotbe de'stroyed.We alsoleamedwherethe crones can be found; it's at a place namedCrab Peak,in the shadow of the Great Wall. It lies far to the west of here. There was something else, however.' Harquar pondersfor a moment. 'There is a deeper secret Heydrich possesses, for surely he would not allow himself to remain in the witches'power.We cameto believethat he has some deeperretreat,some far-awaysourceof power of his own. He has just used the witchesto bring himself back to strength before he calls upon this power, whateverit may be. My guessis that you will find out what it may be only by entering Mortus Mansion,as his home is called.Shouldyou make for the witches, however, bewaretheir strength.Together they could destroy you utterly. You shouldtry to vanquishthem one at a time, if at all possible.As for me, I think I should seek refuge where the Vampire cannot send any more thingsafter me.'

Harquar now gives you some correspondencethat passedbetween himself, Sewarth and Henrik. There are r-5 pagesof these(makea note of this) and they will give you some clues about Mortus Mansion which may comein usefullater.Gain z Blood Points. You considerwhat Harquarhas told you. You ought now to makeeither for the witches(tum to Sy) or for Mortus Mansionitself(tum to r98).

You startle Endrell approaches.you say, "r'i: looking for food in lamely, that you were the kitchen, you saw the open trapdoor and you were curious.He seemsflusteredand says that he thought he heard an intruder in the catacombs.He seems only too huppy to find some food for you in-the kitchensand brews two herbal nightcapsfor himself and for you. He escorts you back to your room, then has a young monk virfually stand guard outside it. You decideto do somemore snoopingtomorrow. Tum to 9o.

You edge forward utonlt{ *iHding passagewith a low ceiling. Flickeringblue light glimmersaheadand the passagestraightens,the walls grow smootherand the floor easierto walk along.On either side of you are three wall-alcoves,and inside each is a skeletal figure. In the distanceyou can see that the passage continues and there is a side-tuming to your left. You have a pretty good idea that the skeletalfigures

5t-E-3tg

32e52r.

will come to life and attack you as you approach them, so what are you going to do? Will you:

this, or if you won't pay, then you must eat a meal and you sleepfitfully outdoors;deductz points from your STAMTNA.

Throw Blackfire at the skeletons, if you have some? Fire an arrow at the nearest one, if ' you have a longbow? Throw some acid at the skeletons,if you have any? Grip your sword tightly and attack

the first skeleton?' Justwalk straight ahead?

i

Tum to 5o5

In the moming, you can buy some Provisions if you wish to; r Gold Piece buys enough for z meals, and you can buy as much food as you can carry. After endlesssearchinground the outskirts of the village, all you have tumed up is the entrance to some longabandonedmines. If there are any crypts below them, no one is saying so, but the villagers are a furtive lot and have little to say anyway. You must lose z Blood Points for this delay in searching.It's time to go down into the depths!Turn to r54.

Tum to 68 Turn to r78

Tum to ro4 Tum to 327

3a8 The door opens into a pitch-black area.By the light of your lantern, you can see a large wooden table with a coffin on it; the coffin is lined with a coating of earth. Black and red silks are hung on the walls and draped round the coffin itself. You can't see anything or anyone inside the room, but you have a strong sensation of evil, and your skin is clammy with fear. The sense of danger is strong! If you want to enter and destroy the Vampire's coffin, tum to 58S. If you think better of it, you can retreat and open the westem door in the corridor (tum to i5) or the door at the far end of lt (tum to zo8).

The man is clearlyairuffit"d

If you havethe sword,riilruror, tum to 565.lf you do not have this sword, you can fight normally (tum to z4y) or use a silver mirror to fight with (tum to 349.

The doors of the .ou.ni'olr" creakopen. Inside,in barelylit gloom, you can seea dark coachwhich you recognizeas one that spedaway from the monastery. A large pair of swing doors leads into the stables proper, while a smallerdoor leads into a separate room.Will you:

at your decisionto

depart. Now you will have to wander around alone, looking for any crypt entrances outside the village. First, you have to find somewhere to stay for the night; this will cost r Gold Piece. If you don't have

Explorethe coach? Open the pair of doors? Open the smalldoor?

$.

Tum to 564 Turn to 255 Tum to zz

322-325

324-527

The Demon Hound ,pitr5fi? and acid at you, as well as biting and hammeringat you with its stone-hard hoofs.If you do not have a magicsword,you cannot harm it and your adventureendshere.Otherwise,you must subtract r from your Attack Strength when fighting this horror for the spray of flame and acid it directs at you makes it difficult to see the thing properly- let alonestrikeat it! DEMON HOUND

sKILL10

sTAMINA10

If you win, you can open one of the two doors. The one with the magical trap which summoned the Demon Hound is immovably jammed shut now and you cannot open it. This leaves you with the choice of opening the door half-way along the passage (fum to igg) or opening the door with the shield motif at the end of it (tum to u).

You find a farmstead,n?ffl"tre or so awayfrom the " coaching inn, where you can rest in a bam - you're very tired as you've ridden through the night. You must now eat a meal. You can buy some Provisions from the farmer's wife if you have some money - i, Gold Piece will buy you enough for 3 meals (add I to your Provisions) and you may buy as much food as your backpack can carry, if you are able to pay. Alter the Provisions and Treasure boxes on your Adventure Sheet accordingly. Then you settle down for some badly neededsleep.Tum to 57g.

524

You can take supplies from the kitchens: enough food for 4 meals (add + to your Provisions) and a flask of oil, normally used for cooking, ryhich may prove useful to you later on. This oil can't be used to replenish a lantem, however. You now retum to the main passagein the east wing; tum to 599. 325 Shevala told you to utter words which in fact enhance the magical trap here. All that remains of you after you step into the magical barrier is a half-melted sword and a pair of steaming boots. Your adventure ends here. 326 You fall asleep eventually and don't wake up until after noon. During the day, you are.politely prevented from exploring much of the monastery and your questions are evaded with equal courtesy. You are told that Sewarth and Sandar are still away. Lose z Blood Points. If you have already spent at least two nights in the monastery, tum to 6t.lf you have slept here for only one night, furr.to 74.

Roll two dice.If th" trhill

equalto or greaterthan

your FAIrH score, tum to to4.lf it is less than your FArrH score,you escapeand take the left-hand tuming in the passage (tum to t64) or march straight ahead (tum to zoz).

528-329 528 Groping your way through the fog, you find a farm girl standing over the body of a youth that has been

dumped beside some straggling thom bushes. 'The banditsl They have killed Frederick,'she saysmiserably. You look down at the body. The young man still s,eemsto be breathing, so you bend forward to inspect the body more closely. You see a nasty wound on his neck,and you wonder what . . . Then the woman is attacking you, clawing at you with long nails, trying to sink her fangs into your throat! You must fight for your life here!

VAMPYRE

SKILL 9

S TA MIN A

11

If the Vampyre has an Attack Strength of zr in any Attack Round, make a note of this paragraph number, then tum to gS.lf you win, turn to rz8. You prise away the ,o.t5u? make your way quietly underground. There is a faint phosphorescentglow from wall fungi here, and you don't need your lantern. The passagesyou enter are oddly sculpted, as if by some long-lost race of subterranean dwellers; they twist at odd angles, and the floor is slightly rippled and irregular. Keeping your eyes peeled,you come to a side door, which you find to be locked and which you cannot open. In front of you is a junction, one passageleading ahead and the other branching away to your left. tf you want to go straight on, tum to jy7.lf you prefer to bear off to the left, tum to 563.

t6 332

33F534

S K ILL

FirstMILITIAMAN SecondMILITIAMAN

7 7

S TA MIN A

7 6

If you win, Marcushas fled and you must now move swiftly! You cantry the southdoor here(turn to 58r) or the other door to the north in this west wing (turn to zz5).

330 You canfight the monsternormally with a sword;tum to z7o if you chooseto do this. If you want to hurl Blackfireat the monster,you alreadyknow the number inscribedon the vial of Blackfire;multiply this number by three to get a new total, then tum to the paragraph with the samenumber.If you have a mystery potion which you have not identified and you want to try are on using it here,you know how many scratches the flask. Multiply this number by thirteen to get a total, then tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber. If you want to throw acidat the horror, tum to zr. 334 'There he isl' you hear Marcus cry as you leave the chapel.'He murderedEndrell!' The Elder must have summonedhelp from the people of the lakeside,for two burly meo armed with swords and wearing stiff leatherjerkinsand carryingshields,are comingalong the corridor towards you. You realizethat trying to argue is pointless.You are forced to fight theseenemiestogether.

u,&

You mumblesomethin* needinghelp with your ^!f":t problem,and the man look faintly disappointed.'ls that all?' he mutters.He gets down from his raised desk and rummagesthrough some flasks,pouring liquids together to form a most unappetizing, greenish-brownslime,which he decantsinto a dusty goblet. 'Drink that,' he says briskly. You manageto force the stomach-turningfilth down your throat. It really is disgustingstuff, but you are cured of all the afflictionsyou havel Gain r rucr point. The man is growing impatientwith you and wants you to leave now. You can either leave and searchelsewhere(tum to 7) or attackhim(tum to 278).

533-554

535

Pieceif you want their help.If you do this, you must lose r Blood Point for the delay,and you will lose r point from both your Initial and Current srAMrNA scoresif you have Bloodbane.Then you shouldpress onwardsby tuming to 89.

353 You barricadethe door and settle down to an anxious sleep. Fortunately there are no more disturbances. Next moming, you eat a hearty breakfast and set off for Mortus Mansion. Tum to 49.

355 The thick-set man fights with extraordinary ferocity, swinging his iron bar at you!

S A DDL E R

554 The occupantsof this hamlet are mercenarywretches. 'Give us a gold and I'll tell you what you want to know,' is all that any of them will say. If you are willing to pay up, tum to 558. If you can't - or won't pay, turn to 89. You could also spend a day working here, doing manual labour, in order to earn a Gold

s rrrr 8

S TA MIN A

11

If you win, you make take his lantem. It won't be of any use to light your way, for the lantem has red Iensesand the radiancefrom it is baleful and doesn't illuminate anything clearly. There is a pattern echoed on the glass lenses, showing vaguely human figures shrouded in cocoons; you have no idea what these images mean. You return to the main coach-house. You can now open the double wooden doors if you haven't done so already (turn to 233), explore the coach. if you haven't done so (tum to 564), or make for the mansionhouse itself (turn to +6).

556-557

fi8-ii9 fruitless search;lose r Blood Point. You can now go up to the dome (tum to zr8), explore elsewherein the east wing (tum to 265) or leave and go to the west wing (turn to ry).

556 As you are about to remove the gag from the young man's mouth, his eyes turn in the direction of the stairs at the same moment as a huge monster, clad in gleaming metal and yet with a body of rotting flesh, hurls itself down the steps from the darkened room above. This is a Ghoul, but one unlike any other you have seen.Bands of metal are sunk into its arms and legs, and from its hand protrude knifelong metal blades.It looks as if an insane creator had used fused metal into the Ghoul's body to strengthen it - and it is a formidably powerful opponent. Fortunately, given the warning of the young man'sgaze,you are balanced and ready to fight it!

S TEELGHO U L

SKI LL 9

ST AM I N A

fi8 Having slain the Vampyre, you tip the coffin over and smash the wood. Gain 4 Blood Points! From the depths of the Ghoulcrypts for a moment a great groan of anguish rises up. Perhapsthe wretched Count now knows that you are here and that his end is nigh you hope. Now you return to the main passageand press forward into the depths of the Ghoulcrypts. Tum to zoz.

12

If you win, turn to 25.

With the sound .f *ol"ir':losing all round you, can you keep calm and retrace your steps?Testyour Skill. If you are successful,you manage to get back to the trail - but you are in the mist now, so turn to jg.If you fail, you stumble and twist an ankle; deduct r point from your srAMlNa. The howling creaturesare upon you! Tum to 66.

337 There are so many books and documents in this library, and you don't really know what you are looking for. Testyour Spot Skill. If you are successful, you lose time in a turn to z8r.lf you are unsuccessful,

I

v

542

340-54a

How canyou hope to br.5ul1hugestonewith a sharp weaponsuch as a sword?Testyour Luck.lf you are Unlucky, your sword simply shattersand you no longer have a magic sword. If you are Lucky, the bladesdoes not break but you quickly realizethe error of your ways.Unfortunately,the stonedoesnot carefor being struckin this way. Out of the shadows behind you a pair of Giant Spiderscome skittering from their rocky lairs to attackyoul You must fight themtogether.

You enter a comfortabh flfg room. Paddedsmokingjackets hang on pegs on the walls, and the Count's favourite armchair nestles comfortably beside a large table with glasses,bottles and decanterson it. Unfortunately, on the wall directly above the door is a trophy of the Count's Mortvanian hunting days. The head of a huge black bear comes to life the moment you enter. and the wooden plaque on which it is set flies down from the wall! The animated head snarls and growls, and the bear's teeth are quite capable of inflicting serious injury upon you if you do not destroy this magicalcreation swiftlyl

BEARTRO PHY

srrlr 8

S K ILL

FirstGIANT SPIDER Second GIANT SPIDER

STAM T N A 7

S TA MIN A

78 78

When you have killed one of the spiders,the second one will fue silky strandsof spider'sweb at you. Test your Luck.lf you are Lucky,you will not be caught, but if you are Unlucky, you will be caught up in the web and you must deduct r point from your Attack Strengthfor the rest of this fight. If you win, you decidethat you can do nothing further here;you can eitherbacktrackto the left-handpassage(turn to l6y) or headfor the surface(tum to r45).

If you win, you can take two flasks of herbal liqueur from the table. Each one can be drunk at any time, except during combat, and will restore 4 lost srAMrNA points. Now you can retum to the passageoutside to explore elsewhere.Turn to 599. 54a You must Test your Slcill. Unless you have some rope which you can throw up and loop round one of the gargoyles by the windowsill and so haul yourself up, you must add z to the total rolled on the dice. Each time you fail, you get part-way up, only to fall; lose r sTAMINA point. You can keep on trying until you succeed;when you do, turn to tgr., but make a note of how many attempts you had to make. If you get bored with continual failure,you decide to hammer on the front door instead(turn to 57).

A

345-54

545

creature looks like a small, shrivelled old man, but it has leathery wings and the face of a demon. It holds a small stone wand from which black acid drips on to the floor. Before you can get to the witch, yo,., have her Demonling to deal withl

DE MO NL I NG

srrrl 8

STAM TN A 7

If the Demonling hits you, roll one dice. If you roll a 1, you are splashed by the acid and must lose 3 srAMrNA points. If you roll a 6, you get a faceful of the vicious, corrosive acid; lose 4 stert*e points. You are also blinded for a short time; subtract z from your Attack Strength for the next two Attack Rounds. If you win, tum to 254.

As.you approach,th" *itl#, breakoff their argument andgazeat you suspiciously. They both draw Jugg"r, dripping with venom from the folds in their ctiks. What areyou going to sayfor yourself?Will you: Ask about the statue? Ask about a magical item of some kind? Ask if you can help them in some way? Try some other strategy?

T

I

Turn to rr5 Turn to 585 Tum to 45 Turn to 7z

345"546

You turn your eyes u*ulnlro the hypnotic gaze of the Vampireand thus saveyourselffrom the dominating effectsof his eyes.However,you must subtractr from your Attack Strength when fighting him. Now turn to 565.

546 Villagers and other monks are already streaming towards the monastery, attracted by the sound and the sight of the fleeing coach. The bodies of several monks are brought out by men with ashen faces. One monk from a neighbouring monastery mutters something about Ghouls, and people are beginning to look uneasyand afraid.It seemsthat only one of the young monks from the monastery is left alive. If you want to try to talk to him, roll one dice and add 4. If the total rolled is less than your FArrH score,tum to 4y.lf it is higher than your FArrH score, it's time to go. If you have at least 8 Gold Pieces,tum to 276. lf you have lessthan this amount, turn to zo5.

347 547 You open the door and gaze, open-mouthed, at the sheer scale of the room in front of you. Seemingly endless, it is filled with stone tombs and moumful statues.In an archway to the north is a glowing azure barrier of light; far to the south there are two more great archways, each with a huge wooden door and bronze plaques and handles. It comes as no surprise when you see what looks like g small army of undead beginning to advance on you from the south. If you can't face fighting the Ghouls, Zombies (and perhaps worse) heading your way, you can slam the door shut and run like mad back to the entrance hall, where you will be able to take your bearings and find somewhere else to search(tum to z7),but you cannot retum here afterwards.However, if you decide to stay, you have enough time for four actions before the undead reach you. If you have a longbow, you can fire arrows (firing a single arrow counts as one action). Test your Skill each time you fire, and every time you are successftrl you can subtract z points from the-srAMtNA of the Ghoul Pack.If you have some acid, you can throw this at them; this takes one action. Testyour Skill.lf you are you can subtract4 points from the sTAMINA successful, of the Ghoul Pack. If you have Blackfire, you can throw the vial at the undead. This takes one action, and the magical wall of fire created will destroy the Ghoul Pack utterly (you can then fire alrows or throw acid at the Zombie Pack when you confront them). After performing four actions, you must fight!

G HO UL P A CK

sK rLL9

S TA MIN A

10

549-354

548

If you are struck four times by the Ghoul Pack, tum at once to 84. If you win, tum to 58o. 548 The man's eyes glaze over as if some enchantment or spell had been lifted from him; however, as you snatch the glowing gold amulet away from his throat, it bums your hand with a hery, evil magic. Deduct r point from your srAMrNa. What's more, the west door in this room is no1vopening and a pair of Zombies are shambling in from a nearby guard-room. You must fight the Zombies together, but after z Attack Rounds Sandarwill have recovered some of his sensesand will fight on your side.When that happens,you may add z to your Attack Strength becauseof his assistance. SKI L L

FirstZOMBIE SecondZOMBIE If you win, turn to 82.

STAMINA

n

|7

n

t7

349 You push open the door to find a long, narrow passageway, richly calpetedas before,leading eastwards.In the distance,it swingsaway southwards,but before that there are four wooden-panelleddoors set off from it, two on eitherside.Will you: Tum to 88 Open the first door to the north? Tum to 65 Open the seconddoor to the north? Turn to r59 Open the first door to the south? Open the seconddoor to the south? Tum to 54o Go to the end of the passageand Tum to r8z tum south?

have no key to open The door here is locked;t"n." it with. You can breakit down, but this will take time and you will makea lot of noisein the process.If you want to smashthe door down anyway, tum to zr. Otherwise,you must return to the main passageway and exploredeeperinto the Ghoulcrypts;tum to zoz.

554 Sewarth, you leam, is one of the Elders of the Halls of the Stars and lives in a small building with a splendid

552

55L

glass dome. Gossip tells you that the monks of this place are rather eccentric, even by monkish standards, and keep themselves to themselves. They have a reputation for very odd and obscure studies, and no one is certain exactly what it is they do most of the time. You approach the monastery and rap the small gargoyle door-knocker on the front door. A weedy young man in grey robes opens the door a fraction, and clearly he doesn't much like the look of you. You manage to stick one foot in the door and wave Henrik's papers in hii face, saying that they must be delivered to Sewarth urgently. 'Wait a moment,' the youth says, determinedly forcing the door shut despite the obstacleof your foot.

Inside a minute, two rather older monks are staring at you round the reopened door. You explain yourself, and one of them says, 'Very well, you'd better come in. Sewarth is away at the moment, but perhaps we can help.' They admit you into their hallway and lead you into a spartan room. You explain how you came by the papers you are carrying.

'l am Endrell,' the taller and older of the monks says, 'and this is Marcus. We are two of the four Eldershere. Our colleagues,Sewarthand Sandar,are away for a short time, though we expect Sewarth back soon. May I look at the papers you have brought?' If you are happy to hand over the papersto him, tum to z57.lf you don't want to do this,fum to zo5. 552

You look through any papersyou may have; lose r Blood Point for the delay. If you have some letters from Harquar'shouse,you know how many sheetsof paper there are in them. Multiply that number by eight, then tum to the paragraph with the same number. Otherwise, you can only step shaight into the portal (tum to r8), speakthe words Shevalatold you (tum to 5zj or decideto leave.If you leave,you can makefor either the locked door (tum to 259), the cavem at the very end of the passage,if you haven't beenthere before(fum to zo6), or the surface(tum to 149.

553-355

You can take trinket, unatf"'uUresworth 6 Gold Pieces from the Vampyres. In their over-decorated, rather lurid chamberyou find a thlrd woman sleepingon one of the silk-coveredbeds; there are bite marks on her throat. Now, she may be a Vampyre too, for all you know; they do feed on one another when desperate. But she may be an innocent victim, kidnappedperhaps, and it would be a cowardly and tenible thing to leave her here at the mercy of the Count's evil servants. What will you do? If you decide to try and wake her, turn to 16. If you want to leave, you can retum to the main passage;turn to 599. 354 You have just abandoneda group of helpless,innocent young monks to a very unpleasantfate; lose r point of FAIrH for your cowardice. Now you can explore the westernmost north door, if you haven't done so already (tum to 256),or the other northern door (turn to 2zi. 355 Carollar attacks you with her envenomed dagger. If she hits you, roll one dice. If you roll 4-6, you must lose r additional sTAMINApoint as the poison works its way into your system! C A R OLLA R

If you win, turn to zgy.

S K ILL10

S TA MIN A

10

556-3iy

t know. how many pages it contains. Add roo to lH number to get a total, and turn to the paragraph wt the same number. If you don't have this boolq s t you don't want to let this man know that you have iL take your leave of him and tum to 5r9.

356 You don't know for celtain whereMarcus'srooms are, but luckily you guesscorrectly:his study room is just acrossthe corridor from Endrell's.You knock gently on the door and hear a bolt being drawn back. The door opens just a fraction and the monk's clearly frightenedfacepeersout at you. Sulprisedby his look, you say that you very much want to talk to him, for you are worried about Sewarth.He nods and lets you in. If you found a book in Endrell'sroom and you have fought Endrell, multiply the number of that volume by the number of metal bands on Endrell's staff,then tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber. If you only glimpsedthe book, tum to the paragraph with the samenumber as the volume number of the book.Failingthat,tum to z5o. 557 'l am known by somepeopleas the Gatekeeper,' the man sayscautiously.'l know the way into the crypts. They are far below the old Bluestonemines to the north of the village. Do you have Sewarth'sCodex with you, by any chance?'If you have this book" you

358 The villagers tell you that a strange,eccentricfellow is living at the eastem boundary of the hamlet. 'Forget 'is name. Zandar, Sender, somefink like that. Anyway, he mended that lamb leg old Snotman had - remember?' The others nod their heads in remembrance. 'He might be able to help yer if yer got some kind of disease or something. Bet yer he meddles in magic, too. Them funny old strangersoften do, like.'There are vague whispers about 'furriners' from the group here. At the mention of diseases,some of them look at you a bit askanceand you decide it's probably time to go. You can seek out this eccentric old healer if you wish (tum to S); otherwise you continue north-eastwards in pursuit of your quarry (turn to 89).

559-560

56r-565

TheCounthasused *ur'tJu?oortalto transporthimself " the planesto his finalhideaway. far away,flying across Whenyou strikethebarrier,ftreflickersroundyour body as you suffersomeof the ill-effectsit was designedto inflicton anyonewho enteredit otherthantheVampire; lose3 srevtu.npoints.If you arestillalive,tum to zg8.

56a The Vampire hesitates for a moment, astounded by your heroic leap! You can attack him before he has the wits to use a magical assaultagainstyou. Gain 1 LUCK point, then turn to r58.

560

woman The dark-haired, pretty, slender,pale-skinned in the left-hand portrhit is Katarina Heydrich, the Count's sister.The book wams you that she was a dangerousmagician,probably a Vampire like her brother;sheis believedto havebeendestroyed- but then so was ReinerhimselflThe tall, powerful,blond man in the third picture is SiegfriedHeydrich, the Count'sbrother.The history book tells you that, as a ghost, he haunted his brother's wretched castle in Mortvania and soughtto bring about his downfall.It seemsstrangethat Reiner should have his portrait here, given that the two were deadly enemies.You ponderthis mystery for a moment,but can't figure it Tum to 7. out. You decideto exploreelsewhere.

562 Your oil dispels the trap, but it is now all used up, so remove it from your Possessions.You push open the door and find yet another of Count Heydrich's coffins. This one is arrayed in silks of red and black; however, it is surrounded by a network of glass and bronze flasksand tubes which passinto and out of the walls of the chamber. Hazy blue gas and drops of pale, yellowish-red fluids trickle out of the tubes into the interior of the coffin, where they settle in a thick mist, obscuring the baseof the coffin. If you want to destroy this, you may be taking your life in your hands - but, then, what are you here for in any case?If you want to destroy the coffin, tum to 165. Altematively, you can back out and head along the passageoutside, opening the left-hand door half-way down (turn to Sgi or the right-hand door at the end (turn to r). You can hear the sound of muttering ahead of you, so you edge towards a cave entranceand peer round the

564

56j

comer. The old witch, Shevala,is talking to herselfin her disgustingden.The placeis cobwebbedand filthy, and repulsive sights are on display everywhere' sheavesof driedbat'swings,plaitedrat-tails,shrunken heads,great bell-jarsfull of cloudy liquidscontaining eyes, feet and worse - this lair is everything you fearedit would be. On the far side of the room is an omatearchway,and what liesbehindit is obscuredby a glowing blue haze of magical energy. The witch herselfis frantically scrgbblingthrough the pagesof a grimoire.'Must be here . .. shewon't help me . . . a thousandcurseson the basiliskthat tumed my sister to stone!'At any rate,now you know aboutthe stone statueyou saw the witchesarguingover. You draw your sword and prepareto confronther. As you enter, a pair of red, glowing eyes look up balefullyat you from just behind the cave entrance: Shevalahas a guardian,a hideouslydeformedGoblin. Unfortunatelyfor you, the vicious little wretch carries a poisoneddagger,like his mistress,and he'swiry and tougher than most Goblins.You will have to fight the Goblinfirst,then the witch. If you are struckby either, roll one dice. If you roll 4 or less,you must lose r additionalsrAMrNApoint,thanksto the poison. SKIL L

G O B L IN SHEVALA

ST AMIN A

6

6

9

7.7-

If you reduceShevalato z srevrua points or less without killing her outright, tum to 6. If you kill her, tum to 64.

364 You open the doors of the omately decoratedblack coach.The insideis black and red silk upholstery,and behind the seatingin a recessis a coffin containinga thin film of black soil. You climb in, intending to pull out the coffin and smashit; destroying the Vampire's coffin will surely weakenhimt As you do, however, the silk sheets,curtains and pillows seem to corne alive. They tum into hideousgreat slabsof rotting flesh,and clawedhandsclutch at you from the bizane Zombie-Coach!You must subtractr from your Attack Strengthfighting it, for you are trappedin an enclosed sPace. Z O MB I E CO A CH

sK rLL7

S TA MIN A

10

If you win, the coachfalls apart round you. Testyour Luck-If you are Lucky, you escapein time. If you are Unlucky, the roof panellingcollapseson to your head and you mustlose 1 srAMrNApoint. But you drag the coffin out and smashit. Gain 5 Blood Pointsl Now you should explore an areayou haven't visitedyet. Will you: Open the pair of doors? Open the single door? Leave and make for the mansion house itself?

Turn to 255 Turn to zz Turn to 46

365

565 The Count has spent some time enhancinghis strength, and he is the most powerful enemy you will ever have encountered.He has existed for many years and his strength and powers of recuperation are far beyond those of any mortal. Divide your Blood Points scoreby five, rounding any fractions up (so, if you have zr Blood Points, the figure will be 5). You may subtract this figure from the Cbunt's srAMrNA score which is given below. If you have the sword Imperator and if your FAIrH score is I or g, you may subtract r point from the Count's sKrLL;if your FAIrH is ro or higher, you may subtract z from his srIrr. Finally, you may add r point to your Current LUCKscorefor possessing each of the following: the History of Mortoania, Sewarth's Codex and a sheaf of letters from Harquay (you've picked up some helpful tips on fighting Vampires from your casualreading!).If you have no magic sword, you will automatically lose this fight. Now, pray to the forces of good on Titan, and do the best you can! The Count fights with his fists, which strike you with the force of hammers. REINER HEYDRICH

SKILL15

STAMINA 50

When the Count's sTAMINAis reducedto ro points or Iess,he will change his fighting tactics: he will try to attack you with his fangs.You may subtractz from his Attack Strength but, if he bites you, roll one dice. If you roll a 5, he will inflict twice the normal damage on you (you must lose 4 sTAMINApoints).If you roll a 6, he has gashed your throat badly and you will die after four more Attack Rounds, unless vou can

i.

356-567

968-57o

overcome him and pause to staunch the bleeding! If you reduce the Count's sTAMINA to 4 points or less without killing him outright, turn to g.lf you kill the Count outright, tum to 3;82.

turn to the paragraph with the same number. If you want to go to Crab Peak and don't know where it is, you can do some asking around, but that is likely to take you some time. If you decide to do this anyway, turn to ro.

366 The sword rejectsyou! Your hands burn from the pain of the sword's magical attack on you; deduct z points from your srAMrNA. The knight's ghost ushers you out of the tomb, and you make for the door half-way along the passage beyond the tombs, and open it. Tum to 595.

368 Have you found a ring set with moonstones?If you have, you know how many stones there are in the ring. Multiply that number by Zo, then tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber. If you haven't found this ring, turn to r4z.

t6Y As you lead Sandarback to the hamlet,he suddenly rememberssomething.He recallshearingthe Vampire talking to a servant,and he overheardthem referring to a particularplace.'lt was a mountainor a hill, I think . . . Crab Peak,that was it! The dark man was very excitedabout that. He said somethinglike, "ln time. We must have it back in time." I supposehe meant something he intends to use for some evil purposeor other.'Sandarrubs his foreheadand suddenly looks desperatelytired. You practicallyhave to carry him the last few pacesto the outskirts of the hamlet.You prevailon the charityof the folk hereto look after him, and set off on your way. If you want to continue north-eastwards to Heydrich'smansion house,tum to 89. If you want to go to CrabPeahdo you know whereit is?If you do, it's because you have a book that tells you. You shouldknow how many pagesthat book has;doublethe numberof pages,then

369 In the moming, when you arrive at Harquar's house, you find it surrounded by excited villagers and a detachment of the town guard. The sage has been murdered, and there is no way you are going to get into the house. Wild tales of flying monsters that shattered the bedroom window high above you are rife; but Grundar, the sage's bodyguard, hasn't been able to give any coherent account of what happened to his master. You can now buy some equipment if you want to (turn to 285); alternatively,you can leave by heading north-eastwards(tum to r98) or you can set out for some other area(turn to 5o4). 570 Making your way as quietly as you can along the next passage,you find a stone door flush with the end of it. You push the door open; turn to 254. -

A

371-373

The black coach vanish":1l the darkness.Somehow you have to pursue it in order to find out where the creature which has brought death and mayhem to the monks has gone. If you want to make one final check inside the monastery before giving chase,tum to 546. If you prefer to pursue the coach at once, do you have at least I Gold Pieces?If you have, turn to z76.lf you do not have this much, tum to zo5. 572 The undead monster collapsesto the ground - and, even as you watch, it begins to get back to its knees!It can be destroyed permanently by one of two things only: Oil of Disenchantmentor Blackfire.If you have either of these,you know the numbers associatedwith them. Divide the number etched on the flask of magical oil by two, and tum to the paragraph with that number, or turn to the paragraph with the same number as that on the label on the vial of Blackfire.If you have neither of these items, you cannot overcome this monstrous guardian and you are forced to run while the horror is still getting back to its feet (but make a note of the fact that, if you find either of theseitems, you can retum to fight the Grand Revenantagain by tuming to 274).You slam the door shut behind you. If you now want to make for the southem passage,tum to 7.lf you want to retum to the entrance hall, turn to zyt. 575 You spend quite a bit of time asking around in the taveins of Farleigh, where the merchants and travellers

374-375 are more concerned with enjoying themselves than with talking about sages;lose r Blood Point. Eventually, however, a young apprentice declaresthat it must be Harquar whom you are seeking, and that he can be found in the Golden Goose. You make for the tavem; tum to rz5.

Discretionwas certain ry l{! A"rr"r part of valour this time! The cave is suddenlyfilled with sheetsof flame as the sparksignite the gas you could smell.Then all is quiet again,but the spark-creature is still bobbing aroundin the cave.You decideto move forward and confront it. Tum to zo4. 575 You pushopenthe door to an extensivelibrarywhich lies below the great dome of the monastery.A spiral staircaseleads up to a balcony running round the dome, and there are endlessbookshelvesand racksof musty, dusty old documentsbound up with ribbon and waxed string. If you want to explore the library for any cluesyou might find, turn to jSy.lf you want to climb up to the dome,tum to zr8. If you decide that exploring here will take up too much time, you canleaveand exploreelsewherein the eastwing (tum to 265) or make for the west wing of the monastery (tum to r97).

576-579 376 There is no sign of any black coach in the gloomy stables- which is something of a relief. You poke idly around in some half-rotted hay and are about to leave when a sickly stench assails your nostrils. Looking back, you see a rotting corpse shamblingtowards you. Half of its gangrenous flesh has already peeled away from its bones, but it reachesout with filth-encrusted bony hands to strangle the life out of youl It is not moving swiftly, though, and you can run away from the house and avoid combat if you wish to do so; if you do this, turn to 89. If you stay and fight the monster, tum to tz7. If your FArrH score is , ,!{{rrn"r, or less,tum to zo6.

turn to 75.lf it is 6

57E Only rank grassand some straggling shrubsand bushes grow in the grounds of the mansion house. The thick pall of mist hangs everywhere, making it difficult to see even your feet in front of you. If you have Lung Rot, the mist chokes you; lose z srAMrNA points. There are some iron railings at the back of the mansion house which prevent you entering a gravelled rear courtyard. All you can do is go to the front door (tum to +6) or try to climb over the railings and explore the courtyard at the back (turn to 6z).

By the time you *^k"t13 it is almostdarktThe Vampire will surely be up and about again soon. You

jgbjgt-

582-585

pick up all your equipmentand makefor the stables.If you have a ring with gemsin it, multiply the number of gems by zo, then turn to the paragraphwith that number.If you don't haveany suchring, tum to ro8.

happening, the door is flung open and a young monk with wild, staring eyes and his mouth frozen in a scream comes hurtling through the doorway. He flees for the main doors before you can stop him. The door that has just been openedleadsinto a long passageway with many monks' cells off it, and the doors of some are open. A trail of blood leads into the distance. If you want to follow this, tum to t5.lf you decide not to do so, but to explore elsewhere,tum to 554.

The Ghouls are destroy"il"O* now you have to race a horde of swarming Zombies! Though they are not skilful, there are so many of them that they may wear you down by sheer force of numbersl

ZO M BIE PACK

sKrLL 7

382 Dreadful wailing and sounds of lamentation come from one of the archways as you strike down the Vampire at last. Racing out of the darkness comes a long-haired, pale woman: Reiner's sister Katarina, a Vampire herself! You may perform one action '(for example, drinking a potion or liqueur) before she gets to you, then you have to fight for your life against her rage and fury!

sravrui 16

If you win, gain 1 LUcK point and 1 FArrH point. Now, will you: Go through the azurelit archway? Open the right-hand door to the

Tum to rz

south? Open the left-handdoor to the south?

Tum to 97

KATARINA HEYDRICH

Turn to r5z

sKILLo

STAM TN A g

If you win, tum to 4oo.

381 You hear a groaning sound coming from behind the door to the south. fust as you are wondering whether it's a good idea or not to open it and find out what is

jBs The witchesattackyou at once.Tum to 267.

A

5E418s 584 You drag the protesting landlord from his bed and demand to be told hll he knows about the scarredman who came offering money to have you killed. The landlord obviously knew all about it, becausehe now looks shifty and guilty. He is afraid of you and begins to blurt out the whole story. He says that the man came from the east - which is the direction in which Mortus Mansion lies. When you point that out to him, he shudders and says that everyone is very afraid to stray into the area.'Visitors come from there only rarely, and then it is generally an eccentric old man, who comes to buy food in the village. 'Very tall, he is, with long grey hair and funny eyeglasses.Calls himself Doktor Vemrckte.'The descriptiondoesn't sound much like the Count; it may well be interesting to find this man . . . You protest that a guest at the inn ought to be able to sleep in peace. The landlord guiltily offers you food and provisions to make up for the inconvenience. You can fill your backpack without charge, and you also get back the Gold Pieceyou paid him. Gain r rucr point! Now you are shown to another room and settle to sleep.Tum to jjj. 585 You replacethe book and push the chestback under the bed, then you hurriedly sit down in the one uncomfortable chair here. When Endrell reachesthe open door, he hesitatesthen advancesinto the room, looking angrily at you, a thick staff in his hands.You plead that you cannot sleep and beg an extra blanket to stave off the cold. Endrell seems to be placated and gruffly arranges for a

386-587

juniormonkto find extrabedding.You areescorted back to your room andaregiven a herbalnightcapto helpyou sleep.You cantell that Endrellhasstationeda monk outsideyour door to stop any furthernoctumalsnooping. Evenfuallyyou get backto sleep.TesfyourLuck.Ifyou areLucky,tum to 5z6.lf you areUnlucky,tum to 9o. 586 fust too late,you seethe croneraisethe flaskto her lips! Add 6 points to her srAMrNA score;she has drunk a Potion of Staminathat she had hidden on her bodyl Shefights with renewedfury, and this time it is a fight to the death.If you win, turn to 64. 587

buys enough for z meals).Finally you find a scholar who tells you where you could search:you should make for the village of Shamek,beyond the northem GreatWall. However,the delay meansthat you must losero BloodPointslTurn to 19.

s88189 588 As you enter, a smoky form begins to materialize above the coffin. The figure is small, no bigger than stunted goblin, which it vaguely resembles.It wields sharp brass knives in its claws and hisseswith hatred at you. Small wings unfold on its back and it flies at you and rakes you with the envenomed knives it carries!

DE A T H I MP

sK rLL9

srevwe 6

If you win, but the Death Imp struck you during your fight, roll three dice. If the total is the same as, or higher than, your Current srAMrNA score, you must lose more srAMrNA because of the effects of the poison. Roll one further dice and add r to the number rolled; this is the number of additional sravrrue points you must lose. If you are still alive, you can smashthe coffin here. Gain 4 Blood Pointsl Now you can open the west door in the corridor outside (turn to ji or the door at the end of the corridor (tum to zo8); altematively, if you think it is time to leave the house, tum to 5oo. 589 You do not notice the young man's upwards glance until it is too late. A mass of metal and undead flesh slams into you, knocking you off your feet, as the monster hurls itself downstairs at you. The gruesome thing looks as if someone has fused metal into the body of a Ghoul to toughen it - which is exactly what has happened.Deduct r point from your srAMrNA for being knocked down, and you must subtract z from

392

590-5gt

your Attack Strength in the first Attack Round while you regain your feet and balance. Fortunately, this Ghoul strikes with long, metal claws and does not paralyse, as Ghouls often do. Nevertheless it is very strong and difficult to defeat!

STEELG H OUL

SKI LL 9

ST AM IN A

If you win, tum to U, but you may subtract r from the srcrll and4 from the srevrNe of the Count given in that paragraph.

12

If you win, turn to 25.

3go The horror is engulfed in flame; it screamsin a nightmarish, piercing voice which seems to fill the entire cavem. Unfortunately, even the magic of Blackfire doesn't kill it outright. It lumbers towards you, an undead fireball, its superheatediron claws reachingout for you! Tum to rzr.

Harquar is dead. Y"" #1"ft in the room with a decomposing puddle of slimy jelly and the colpse of the fat sage;it's not a pleasant sight. Then the sage's bodyguard comes into the room with his master's tankard of midnight cocoa; he takes one look at you with your drawn sword, and his dead master. The jelly doesn't really register in the servant's mind, not surprisingly when you see his heavy forehead and close-set eyes. He draws a sword and sets about you, despite your protests.

B O DY GUA RD A wise choice indeed, f":nwoman is Katarina, the Count's evil sister, as much a Vampire as he is! She attacksat once with long, clawed nails and fangs. KATARINA HEYDRICH

sKILLo

STAMINA o

sK rLL9

STAM TN A 1 3

If you win, you have no time to searchthe place. No one's going to believe your story about a flying jelly, especiallyas the thing has now melted into a thick pile of slime,and you have just killed Harquar'sbodyguard.

595-594 You have to get out of town. You can leave, going north-eastwards(tum to r98) or set off for some other destination(tum to 5o4).

595 The door hereopensreadilyand a chill draughtof air wafts up to you from some depth far below. Your breathfrostson the air,it is so cold.You arewondering whether to go on this way when you are suddenly hammeredon the backby what feelslike a solidwall whichit is,for the wall oppositethe door hassuddenly shot forward and thrown you into the darkness!You must lose 1 sTAMINApoint for the buffeting.The door behindyou slamsshut and,as you try to forceit open,you realizethat the wall oppositeis now flush with the door,sealingyou in. Turn to 7r.

595 595 This powerful potion hasan entirely unpredictableeffect. Made from the vital energiesof living creaturesand the essenceof certainof the undead,it may have a positive or a negative effect on you. Roll one dice - but, before you do so,you candecidehow many rucr points (if any) you wish to spend.Every rucr point you sacrificeadds r to the number rolled, thus increasing final total; but you cannot spend more than z points of rucr in this way. Make your decisionbefore you roll the dice,then consult the table below to seewhat has happenedto you. Total 1_ 2

3-4 5 6-7

Thereisn't much.o"", fir'fleepingwatchon the inn, so you have to hide yourself as best you can in a roadside gully. However, you are desperately tired from riding through the night, and you soon fall asleep. You wake up later, stiff and uncomfortable; deduct r point from your srAMrNA, and you must now eat a meal.Turn to 57g.

Effect Losez sxln points Lose r srtrr point You feel mildly sick. Lose 1 srAMrNA point You are strengthened.Add r point to both Current and Initial srAMrNA You are strengthened!Add r point to your sKrrl (but this cannot exceed rz) and add r point to both your Current and Initial srAMrNA You feel like a new personl Add z points to your sKILL, Current and lnitial sTAMINAscores.sKILLcannot exceed 15 or lnitial sravrNe z5 becauseof thesegains

If you want to drink the alleged srrrr restorative, having not already done so, tum to z4r. Otherwise, you leave for the passageoutside the Doktor's rooms to explore elsewhere.Tum to 7.

596-597

598-399

596 You must fight the wolves one at a time. SKIL L

FirstWOLF SecondWOLF

6 6

ST AMIN A

v n

If you win, the man is deeply gratefulto you. He tells you that he is a merchant,making for the market village of Farleigh,which lies to the north-eastalong the road. 'l brought a bodyguardwith me,' he says sadly, looking at the dead warrior. 1Weleft the road when we saw that mist. Didn't like the look of it at all.' Roban,as he introduceshimself,asksyou if you will help him bury the man and then accompanyhim to Farleigh.He sayshe will pay you for your protection when he arrivesat the village.If you are prepared to help him bury his friend, this takestime. You will lose r Blood Point, but you will gain r r,ttrn point for this action. Then you set off once more, with Robanin tow. Tum to r48.

magical weaponscan Your attack is useles ,.tJIr, harm the Vampire. Your arrow drops at his feet; he hurls a volley of magicaldarts at you and they bum their way into your flesh;deduct 5 points from your sTAMINA.The pain jolts you into rushingat him; tum to 275.

59E Work out Attack Strengths for yourself and the witch (she has a sKrLLof ro). If you have the higher Attack Strength, you fling the acid at her and she reels back, screaming with pain. She loses i sTAMINA points (remember to subtract this from her total when you fight her). Your acid is now used up. You can fire your longbow at her, if you have one (tum to 5oi, or jump the fissure and attack her with your sword (tum to 5r). 399 You go to the middle of the east-west corridor in the east wing of Mortus Mansion to take your bearings. You are standing facing east. There is a door in the north wall in front of you and another behind you; there are two doors facing them in the south wall too. At its eastern end, the passage tums south. At its western end, a door retums you to the hallway at the main entrance. You should explore an area you have not enteredbefore.Will vou:

Open the north door behindyou? Open the north door in front of you? Open the southdoor behindyou? Open the southdoor in front of you? Go to the end of the passageand then turn south? Go back to the main entrancehalh

Tum to 88 Tum to 65 turn to r59 Tum to 54o Turn to r8z Turn to z7t

400 400

You may have killed the Vampire brother and sister,but you still have to destroy them! Glancing at the crystal heart, you see that it will fit into the amulet set round Reiner'sneck. You grind the gem into the metal of the amulet and, as you force it against the silver, it cracks into a shower of fragments.For the briefest of seconds, the Vampire's terrible eyes open wide, a frozen scream of fear on his face.A last trickle of blooci dribbles from the side of his mouth, and his head lolls to one side like a rag doll's. You gather up the coffins you find in secret chambershidden behind concealeddoors inside the cave and build a funeral pyre for the Vampires,but you dare not set it alight until you have found a narrow set of steep stone stairsbehind a secretdoor in the room behind the left-hand archway. Then you begin your ascent,leaving the blazing corpsesbehlnd you. After an interminable length of time spent staggering up the steps, you emerge into a small cave with a narrow entrance that leads to a valley. As you totter out into the fresh air, a shepherdruns away, screaming, claiming that a terrible Demon has risen from the depths! If you could see yourself - streaked with smoke,bloodied and wounded, wild-eyed - you might not think his words so silly. And if you had not succeededin your quest at last, he would have been right. You have elimated one of Titan's most ancient evils, and you are ready to take your place among the ranks of its legendaryheroes!

AIso in Fighting Fantasy MecBHUNTER Steaelacksonand lan Liaingstone YOU are a Magehunter, tracking down evil-doers and bringing them to justice. Your trusty flintlock pistol and fine steel broadsword have seen many fights, and you have the knowledge, skill and equipment to capture the craftiest sorcerer. But disaster strikes. Magic drags you far from your familiar world, to a land of treasures, traps and treachery. Here you have only your wits to save you from a painful death - and worse, you must pursue and defeat the wiliest wizard of them all. Strange tales and bizarre transformations must all be endured if you are to win through, defeat the enemy and return to the land of your birth.

KNrcursor,Dooira Steaelacksonand lan Lioingstone For years the brave Knights Templar of Demonkeep have kept the peace in lhe Ruddlestone. But now an ancient evil has reawakened in the land: the sorcerer Belgaroth has returned from the dead and will use his powers to bring chaos and terror to thii peaceful kingdom. To ensure his plans succeed, the evil sorcererhas enlisted the servicesof the Knights of Doom. One heroic knight YOU! must creep through a land plunged into war, penetrate the enemy lines and overcome the deadliest foe of them all!

Dnarsvoon Steaelacksonand Ian Liaingstone The request,brought by carrier pigeon, is clear. An experienced adventurer is desperately needed in the distant city of Arion for a mission of deadly importance - an adventurer like YOU. When you arrive at the court of King Jonthane, the urgency of the mission becomes clear. Telessa, the beautiful Princess Royal, is missing, believed kidnapped. She must be rescued, and she must be rescued fast. Unfortun ately, in his haste, King Jonthane has already given the quest to another, your deadly rival Fang-zen of Jitar! You know that the only person suitable for this heroic task is you. Can you prove that you are the one to rescue the princess and more importantly find her, wherever she may be held before she can be harmed? Hurry, for time is running out!